Sources of the Levantine Intermediate Water in Winter 2019

Taillandier, Vincent; D’Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Prieur, Louis; Conan, Pascal; Coppola, Laurent; Cornec, M.; Dumas, Franck; Madron, Xavier Durrieu de; Fach, Bettina; Fourrier, Marine; Gentil, Mathieu; Hayes, Dan; Hüsrevoğlu, Y. Sinan; Legoff, Hervé; Ster, Loïc Le; Örek, Hasan; Ozer, Tal; Poulain, Pierre‐Marie; Pujo‐Pay, Mireille; d’Alcalà, Maurizio Ribera; Salihoğlu, Barıș; Testor, Pierre; Velaoras, Dimitris; Wagener, Thibaut; Wimart-Rousseau, Cathy

doi:10.1029/2021jc017506

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Therefore, we wish to emphasize the fact that, unlike the rest of the Mediterranean, the surface layer (consisting of waters of Atlantic origin) and the intermediate layer (formed by waters from the Levantine part of the Mediterranean) move strictly in phase with each other in the Ionian Sea. These results are significant because they not only justify the commonly used two-layer approximation for describing Ionian dynamics [1,[15][16][17][18]39], but also provide insight into the relationships between changes in the Ionian dynamics and hydrographic and bio-geo-chemical properties of the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean [1][2][3]11,[22][23][24]. Specifically focusing on the biology, previous studies have shown that changes in the Ionian circulation can affect connectivity patterns between different Mediterranean ecosystems, thereby modulating Lessepsian migrations in the Adriatic [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The above quoted findings, along with the fact that changes in the hydrographic properties of the Adriatic and the Eastern Mediterranean (EMed) are in phase with the Ionian dynamics [1,2,11,[22][23][24], indirectly confirm that the variability of the Ionian surface structure is primarily driven by the deformations of the interface between deep and intermediate waters, but open an interesting theoretical issue concerning the dynamical mechanism that constrains the intermediate and surface layer to move rigidly in phase one with the other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

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Hydrographic vs Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of the Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea

Eusebi Borzelli,

Napolitano,

Carillo

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The Ionian Sea is a crucial intersection for various water masses in the Mediterranean. Its hydrography and dynamics play a significant role in the seawater budgets and biogeochemistry of the neighboring sub-basins. Multiple theories have been formulated to gain a better understanding of the Ionian dynamics. These theories primarily attribute the variability of the near-surface Ionian circulation to internal processes. Here, we utilize horizontal currents and temperature-salinity profiles from the Copernicus reanalysis to examine the contribution of baroclinic modes to the variability of the basin horizontal circulation. Our findings demonstrate that, although the basin vertical structure is characterized by three layers, the primary patterns of the Ionian circulation can be attributed to the first baroclinic mode. This mode, along with the barotropic mode, accounts for over 85% of the overall variability in the Ionian circulation, suggesting that only one of the three interfaces separating the different water masses in the basin is dynamically active. We estimate the depth of this interface to be about 490 m. Additionally, our analysis shows that more than 90% of the kinetic energy over the water column is localized above this interface, indicating that the deep layer of the Ionian is dynamically nearly inert.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Hydrographic vs Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of the Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea

Eusebi Borzelli,

Napolitano,

Carillo

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This implies that, unlike the rest of the Mediterranean, in the Ionian Sea the surface layer, consisting of Modified Atlantic Water, and the intermediate layer, formed by Levantine Intermediate Waters, over time-scales longer than one year, move strictly in phase with each other. These results are significant because they not only support the commonly used two-layer approximation for describing the Ionian dynamics [1,[15][16][17][18]39] but also provide valuable insights into the relationships between changes in the Ionian dynamics and the hydrographic and bio-geo-chemical properties of the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean [1][2][3]11,[22][23][24]. Specifically focusing on the biology, previous studies have shown that changes in the Ionian circulation can affect connectivity patterns between different Mediterranean ecosystems, thereby modulating Lessepsian migrations in the Adriatic [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The above quoted findings, along with the fact that changes in the hydrographic properties of the Adriatic and the Eastern Mediterranean (EMed) are in phase with the Ionian dynamics [1,2,11,[22][23][24], indirectly confirm that the variability of the Ionian sur-face structure is primarily driven by the deformations of the interface between deep and intermediate waters but open an interesting theoretical issue concerning the dynamical mechanism that constrains the intermediate and surface layer to move rigidly in phase one with the other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrographic vs. Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea

Eusebi Borzelli,

Napolitano,

Carillo

et al. 2024

Oceans

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The Ionian Sea is a crucial intersection for various water masses in the Mediterranean. Its hydrography and dynamics play a significant role in the seawater budgets and biogeochemistry of the neighboring sub-basins. Multiple theories have been formulated to gain a better understanding of the Ionian dynamics. These theories primarily attribute the variability of the near-surface Ionian circulation to internal processes. Here, we utilize horizontal currents and temperature–salinity profiles from the Copernicus reanalysis to examine the contribution of baroclinic modes to the variability of the basin horizontal circulation. Our findings demonstrate that, although the basin vertical structure is characterized by three layers, the primary patterns of the Ionian circulation can be attributed to the first baroclinic mode. This mode, along with the barotropic mode, accounts for over 85% of the overall variability in the Ionian circulation, suggesting that only one of the three interfaces separating the different water masses in the basin is dynamically active. We estimate the depth of this interface to be about 490 m. Additionally, our analysis shows that more than 90% of the kinetic energy over the water column is localized above this interface, indicating that the deep layer of the Ionian is dynamically nearly inert.

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“…As a consequence anticyclones are coherent larger vortices, while cyclones in the Mediterranean sea as detected by altimetry are instead cyclonic gyres bounded by topography or hydrographic fronts such as the Ligurian, South-Western Crete or Rhodes gyre (Millot and Taupier-Letage, 2005;Stegner et al, 2021). MLD evolution inside these cyclonic gyres was already surveyed because of their importance for biological production, in particular with the development of BGC-Argo (d'Ortenzio et al, 2021;Taillandier et al, 2022). Apart for specific campaigns, Mediterranean anticyclones remain poorly analyzed despite being more coherent, and statistical comparison based on vertical profiles is lacking, with the noticeable exception of the BOUM campaign surveying 3 anticyclones across the basin in 2008 (Moutin and Prieur, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How subsurface and double-core anticyclones intensify the winter mixed layer deepening in the Mediterranean sea

Barboni

Coadou-Chaventon

Stegner

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Abstract. The mixed layer is the uppermost layer of the ocean, driven by atmospheric fluxes. It follows a strong seasonal cycle, deepening in winter due to buoyancy loss, shoaling very close to the surface with summer restratification. Recently global and regional studies showed a mixed layer depth (MLD) modulation by mesoscale eddies with the seasonal cycle. In winter, MLD tends to be deeper inside anticyclonic eddies and shallower inside cyclonic ones. Several studies proposed a scaling law with eddy sea surface height deviation. However they were done globally or regionally with eddy composites mostly representative of surface-intensified structures and using monthly averaged climatologies as reference. The Mediterranean sea contains a wide variety of mesoscale eddies, with the specific presence of several large anticyclones living up to 4 years, in particular in the Eastern basin. These anticyclones were surveyed over the past decade with numerous Argo floats deployments. Several floats remained trapped inside anticyclones for months and enabled to record 16 continuous MLD time series inside 13 long-lived anticyclones at a fine temporal scale on the order of the week. MLD evolution at anticyclone cores reveals a stronger winter deepening, reaching sometimes deeper than 300 m, compared to always less than 100 m in the neighboring background. MLD evolution also does not coincide inside- and outside-eddy, starting to restratify outside of eddies, while it keeps deepening and cooling MLD at anticyclone core for a longer time. We then bring to light a restratification delay of one month on average between the anticyclones and their background, sometimes reaching more than 2 months. Extreme MLD anomalies of up to 330 m that would be smoothed in composite analyses can then be observed when the winter mixed layer connects with a preexisting subsurface anticyclonic core, greatly accelerating mixed layer deepening. On the opposite, the winter MLD sometimes does not achieve such connection but homogenizes a second subsurface layer, then forming a double-core anticyclone with spring restratification. Formation of several double-core anticyclones in the Eastern Mediterranean is accurately described in time. MLD restratification delay and connection with preexisting subsurface anomalies appear to be determinant in MLD modulation by mesoscale eddy and highlights the importance of interaction with eddy vertical structure.

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Sources of the Levantine Intermediate Water in Winter 2019

Cited by 10 publications

References 74 publications

Hydrographic vs Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of the Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea

Hydrographic vs Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of the Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea

Hydrographic vs. Dynamic Description of a Basin: The Example of Baroclinic Motion in the Ionian Sea

How subsurface and double-core anticyclones intensify the winter mixed layer deepening in the Mediterranean sea

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