Seasonal variability of the mixed layer depth in the Mediterranean Sea as derived from in situ profiles

D’Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Iudicone, Daniele; Montégut, C. de Boyer; Testor, Pierre; Antoine, David; Marullo, Salvatore; Santoleri, Rosalia; Madec, Gurvan

doi:10.1029/2005gl022463

Cited by 192 publications

(137 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In agreement with previous late summer measurements (D'Ortenzio et al, 2005), the water column is well stratified, with a distinct mixed layer reaching a depth of approximately 25 m (Fig. 5a).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 78%

Intrusion of coastal waters into the pelagic eastern Mediterranean: in situ and satellite-based characterization

et al. 2013

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A combined dataset of near-real-time multi-satellite observations and in situ measurements from a high-resolution survey is used for characterizing physical-biogeochemical properties of a patch stretching from the coast to the open sea in the Levantine Basin (LB) of the eastern Mediterranean (EM). Spatial analysis of the combined dataset indicates that the patch is a semi-enclosed system, bounded within the mixed layer and separated from ambient waters by transport barriers induced by horizontal stirring. As such, the patch is characterized by physical-biogeochemical properties that significantly differ from those of the waters surrounding it, with lower salinity and higher temperatures, concentrations of silicic acid and chlorophyll a, and abundance of Synechococcus and picoeukaryote cells. Based on estimates of patch dimensions (∼40 km width and ∼25 m depth) and propagation speed (∼0.09 m s⁻¹), the volume flux associated with the patch is found to be on the order of 0.1 Sv. Our observations suggest that horizontal stirring by surface currents is likely to have an important impact on the ultra-oligotrophic Levantine Basin ecosystem, through (1) transport of nutrients and coastally derived material, and (2) formation of local, dynamically isolated niches. In addition, this work provides a satellite-based framework for planning and executing high-resolution sampling strategies in the interface between the coast and the open sea

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 78%

Intrusion of coastal waters into the pelagic eastern Mediterranean: in situ and satellite-based characterization

et al. 2013

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“…As an example of such a calculation, consider a typical April condition in the northwest Mediterranean when the mean mixed-layer depth is typically between 15 and 30 m, with a mean incoming SWR of 200 W m −2 and chlorophyll concentrations ranging from 1 to 0.1 mg m −3 inside and outside the most productive area. The SWR contribution to the mixed-layer heating would be 180 and 160 W m −2 for the two regions, respectively (D'Ortenzio et al, 2005). This example emphasizes the importance of evaluating the effect of biota concentrations in determining the mixed-layer thermodynamics.…”

Section: Present Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Physical forcing and physical/biochemical variability of the Mediterranean Sea: a review of unresolved issues and directions for future research

Artale²,

et al. 2014

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Abstract. This paper is the outcome of a workshop held in Rome in November 2011 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the POEM (Physical Oceanography of the Eastern Mediterranean) program. In the workshop discussions, a number of unresolved issues were identified for the physical and biogeochemical properties of the Mediterranean Sea as a whole, i.e., comprising the Western and Eastern sub-basins. Over the successive two years, the related ideas were discussed among the group of scientists who participated in the workshop and who have contributed to the writing of this paper.Three major topics were identified, each of them being the object of a section divided into a number of different subsections, each addressing a specific physical, chemical or biological issue:1. Assessment of basin-wide physical/biochemical properties, of their variability and interactions.2. Relative importance of external forcing functions (wind stress, heat/moisture fluxes, forcing through straits) vs. internal variability.3. Shelf/deep sea interactions and exchanges of physical/biogeochemical properties and how they affect the sub-basin circulation and property distribution.Furthermore, a number of unresolved scientific/methodological issues were also identified and are reported in each sub-section after a short discussion of the present knowledge. They represent the collegial consensus of the scientists contributing to the paper. Naturally, the unresolved issues presented here constitute the choice of the authors and therefore they may not be exhaustive and/or complete. The overall goal is to stimulate a broader interdisciplinary discussion among the scientists of the Mediterranean oceanographic community, leading to enhanced collaborative efforts and exciting future discoveries.

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“…As shown by D'Ortenzio (2005), the Mediterranean mixed layer is very shallow in summer, and reaches the maximum depth in winter. Mixed layer depth can control the magnitude of the negative intensity feedback due to air-sea coupling.…”

Section: Impact Of Ocean-atmosphere Couplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of medicanes over the Mediterranean Sea in a regional climate model ensemble: impact of ocean–atmosphere coupling and increased resolution

et al. 2016

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International audienceMedicanes are cyclones over the Mediterranean Sea having a tropical-like structure but a rather small size, that can produce significant damage due to the combination of intense winds and heavy precipitation. Future climate projections, performed generally with individual atmospheric climate models, indicate that the intensity of the medicanes could increase under climate change conditions. The availability of large ensembles of high resolution and ocean–atmosphere coupled regional climate model (RCM) simulations, performed in MedCORDEX and EURO-CORDEX projects, represents an opportunity to improve the assessment of the impact of climate change on medicanes. As a first step towards such an improved assessment, we analyze the ability of the RCMs used in these projects to reproduce the observed characteristics of medicanes, and the impact of increased resolution and air-sea coupling on their simulation. In these storms, air-sea interaction plays a fundamental role in their formation and intensification, a different mechanism from that of extra-tropical cyclones, where the baroclinic instability mechanism prevails. An observational database, based on satellite images combined with high resolution simulations (Miglietta et al. in Geophys Res Lett 40:2400–2405, 2013), is used as a reference for evaluating the simulations. In general, the simulated medicanes do not coincide on a case-by-case basis with the observed medicanes. However, observed medicanes with a high intensity and relatively long duration of tropical characteristics are better replicated in simulations. The observed spatial distribution of medicanes is generally well simulated, while the monthly distribution reveals the difficulty of simulating the medicanes that first appear in September after the summer minimum in occurrence. Increasing the horizontal resolution has a systematic and generally positive impact on the frequency of simulated medicanes, while the general underestimation of their intensity is not corrected in most cases. The capacity of a few models to better simulate the medicane intensity suggests that the model formulation is more important than reducing the grid spacing alone. A negative intensity feedback is frequently the result of air-sea interaction for tropical cyclones in other basins. The introduction of air-sea coupling in the present simulations has an overall limited impact on medicane frequency and intensity, but it produces an interesting seasonal shift of the simulated medicanes from autumn to winter. This fact, together with the analysis of two contrasting particular cases, indicates that the negative feedback could be limited or even absent in certain situations. We suggest that the effects of air-sea interaction on medicanes may depend on the oceanic mixed layer depth, thus increasing the applicability of ocean–atmosphere coupled RCMs for climate change analysis of this kind of cyclones

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Seasonal variability of the mixed layer depth in the Mediterranean Sea as derived from in situ profiles

Cited by 192 publications

References 17 publications

Intrusion of coastal waters into the pelagic eastern Mediterranean: in situ and satellite-based characterization

Intrusion of coastal waters into the pelagic eastern Mediterranean: in situ and satellite-based characterization

Physical forcing and physical/biochemical variability of the Mediterranean Sea: a review of unresolved issues and directions for future research

Simulation of medicanes over the Mediterranean Sea in a regional climate model ensemble: impact of ocean–atmosphere coupling and increased resolution

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