The Maltese oceanic front: a surface description by ship and aircraft

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation of an oceanic front in the Ionian Sea during early winter 1970

Johannessen¹,

Good²,

Smallenburger³

1977

“…The fronts were often observed to be associated with a surface slick parallel to shore (Figure 7) and with longshore velocity gradients across the front as high as 3 X 10 -a s -t [Yeske, 1973]. These fronts are much sharper than those commonly found in oceanic waters [e.g., Bang, 1973;Briscoe et al, !974]; they are thus perhaps even more interesting but also harder to study by using conventional techniques. Frontal features are, however, relatively independent of some of the shortcomings of radiometer measurements in that they do not depend closely on absolute temperature or navigation.…”

Section: Surface Frontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The surface temperature structure associated with the Keweenaw Current in Lake Superior

Green¹,

Terrell²

1978

A number of closely spaced airborne radiometer flights over the entire Keweenaw Current in Lake Superior suggest that bathymetry plays a major role in determining the overall features of the current. The crosscurrent surface temperature variations are correlated over long‐current distances of kilometers only in a loose sense, and the crosscurrent fine structure is essentially uncorrelated over the same distance. The crosscurrent temperature variations are often dominated by very sharp fronts, which seem to become unstable and spawn meanders along their outer edge.

“…Although Mediterranean fronts are restricted to the upper 200 m of the sea, they represent substantial horizontal gradients. In the space of only 10 km, temperature and salinity across these fronts have been observed to change as much as 2øC and 0.5%0 [Levine and White, 1972;Briscoe et al, 1974].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Recent observations of the Alboran Sea frontal system

Cheney¹

1978

Past studies in the Alboran Sea have shown the existence of a strong oceanic front during summer, yet few observations have been made in other seasons. This note presents two sets of XBT data obtained in the Alboran Sea in fall and winter, 1976–1977. These data indicate that the Alboran Sea Front persists throughout the year. It meanders from Gibraltar eastward through the basin, sometimes establishing a series of alternating anticyclonic and cyclonic gyres. The front is confined to the upper 200 m and has a typical width of 35 km. A horizontal temperature difference of 2–4°C is maintained across the front at a depth of 100 m. The Alboran Sea Front forms the northern half of an anticyclonic gyre in the western basin. This gyre has a diameter of 75–100 km and appears to be a normal feature of the circulation pattern. When cold surface water along the southern coast of Spain is entrained into the gyre, the main features of the Alboran Sea circulation are enhanced and can be seen clearly on satellite infrared imagery.