The MEDESS-GIB database: tracking the Atlantic water inflow

Sotillo, Marcos García; Garcı́a-Ladona, Emilio; Orfila, Alejandro; Rodríguez-Rubio, Pablo; Maraver, José Cristobal; Conti, Daniel; Padorno, Elena; Jiménez, José A.; Capó, Esther; Pérez, Fernando; Sayol, Juan Manuel; Santos, Francisco J. de los; Amo, Arancha; Rietz, Ana; Troupin, Charles; Tintoré, Joaquín; Álvarez-Fanjul, Enrique

doi:10.5194/essd-8-141-2016

Cited by 43 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…We first provide evidences to support the reliability of the geostrophic currents derived from satellite altimetry for our computations in the region of study. A Lagrangian validation has been performed using a total of 29 drifters trajectories available in the MEDES‐GIB experiment (Sotillo et al, ) carried out in the Alboran Sea during the period studied in this work (see supporting information Text S1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of an Intense Front on the Connectivity of the Western Mediterranean Sea: The Cartagena‐Tenes Front

Hernández‐Carrasco

Orfila

2018

JGR Oceans

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A combined space and time domain Self‐Organizing Maps analysis of Altimetry‐derived finite‐size Lyapunov exponents is used to extract characteristic spatial patterns of mesoscale features and to classify the western Mediterranean in regions of different variability of mixing activity. In particular, a recurrent and intense front is unveiled between Cartagena, Spain, and Tenes, Algeria, in the eastern boundary of the Alboran Sea, the here called Cartagena‐Tenes front (CTF). The temporal evolution and the frequency of occurrence of the spatial patterns and the regional variability of the mixing structures together with additional complementary Lagrangian diagnosis have been used to investigate the effect of the CFT on the regional flow connectivity. The seasonal behavior in the flux of particles through the domain associated with the degree of activation of the CTF shows that surface connectivity between the Alboran Sea and the western Mediterranean is stronger during winter and spring when the CTF is not active. Furthermore, the analysis shows that CTF becomes stronger than the Almeria‐Oran front over particular time periods, controlling the transport processes in this area. The impact of these fronts on transported substances has been analyzed based on Chlorophyll‐a satellite distribution, showing how the Lagrangian Coherent Structures, separate regions of different connectivity properties, affecting on the dynamical and biological behavior.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of an Intense Front on the Connectivity of the Western Mediterranean Sea: The Cartagena‐Tenes Front

Hernández‐Carrasco

Orfila

2018

JGR Oceans

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“…The subgrid-scale parametrisations and their respective parameter values are similar to those used by Sánchez-Garrido et al (2011), who conducted a series of numerical experiments to study the generation process of nonlinear internal waves over the main sill of Gibraltar. Attempts to forecast the oceanographic conditions during a recent oceanographic experiment, the MEDESS-GIB experiment [16], have shown that models reasonably reproduce the main pattern but fail to reproduce the variability of short scales and the details of the evolution of the Atlantic inflow around WAG, e.g., [17]. Once models have the necessary spatial resolution and are able to reproduce the observed physical processes, as was the case of the MEDESS-GIB experiment, a way to improve the subsequent forecast is to have initial conditions and analyzed fields as close as possible to the truth.…”

Section: Model Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the frame of the MEDESS-4MS project (EU MED Program), an intensive Lagrangian experiment was organized in the Strait of Gibraltar to validate and test the operational systems running in this area [16]. The experiment consisted od a quasi-synoptic deployment network of surface drifters distributed along the Strait of Gibraltar ( Figure 2).…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Real-time Reconstruction of Surface Velocities from Satellite Observations in the Alboran Sea

et al. 2020

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Surface currents in the Alboran Sea are characterized by a very fast evolution that is not well captured by altimetric maps due to sampling limitations. On the contrary, satellite infrared measurements provide high resolution synoptic images of the ocean at high temporal rate, allowing to capture the evolution of the flow. The capability of Surface Quasi-Geostrophic (SQG) dynamics to retrieve surface currents from thermal images was evaluated by comparing resulting velocities with in situ observations provided by surface drifters. A difficulty encountered comes from the lack of information about ocean salinity. We propose to exploit the strong relationship between salinity and temperature to identify water masses with distinctive salinity in satellite images and use this information to correct buoyancy. Once corrected, our results show that the SQG approach can retrieve ocean currents slightly better to that of near-real-time currents derived from altimetry in general, but much better in areas badly sampled by altimeters such as the area to the east of the Strait of Gibraltar. Although this area is far from the geostrophic equilibrium, the results show that the good sampling of infrared radiometers allows at least retrieving the direction of ocean currents in this area. The proposed approach can be used in other areas of the ocean for which water masses with distinctive salinity can be identified from satellite observations.

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“…The seasonal variability and occasional interruptions of the Atlantic inflow due to meteorological forcing have been previously investigated with in situ data from fixed moorings [10,11]. More recently, a considerable number of satellite tracked drifters were released on both sides of the SoG within the framework of MEDESS-4MS project, thus providing a complete Lagrangian view of the Atlantic waters inflow into the Alboran Sea [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Monitoring of the Atlantic Jet through the Strait of Gibraltar with HF Radar Observations

Lorente

Piedracoba

Sotillo

et al. 2019

JMSE

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The present work focuses on the long-term coastal monitoring of the Atlantic surface inflow into the Mediterranean basin through the Strait of Gibraltar. Hourly current maps provided during 2016–2017 by a High Frequency radar (HFR) system were used to characterize the Atlantic Jet (AJ) since changes in its speed and direction modulate the upper-layer circulation of the Western Alboran Gyre (WAG). The AJ pattern was observed to follow a marked seasonal cycle. A stronger AJ flowed north-eastwards during autumn and winter, while a weaker AJ was directed more southwardly during the middle of the year, reaching a minimum of intensity during summertime. A strong relationship between AJ speeds and angles was evidenced: the AJ appeared to be frequently locked at an angle around 63°, measured clockwise from the North. The AJ speed usually fluctuated between 50 cm·s−1 and 170 cm·s−1, with occasional drops below 50 cm·s−1 which were coincident with abrupt modifications in AJ orientation. Peaks of current speed clearly reached values up to 250 cm·s−1, regardless of the season. A number of persistent full reversal episodes of the surface inflow were analyzed in terms of triggering synoptic conditions and the related wind-driven circulation patterns. High sea level pressures and intense (above 10 m·s−1), permanent and spatially-uniform easterlies prevailed over the study domain during the AJ collapse events analyzed. By contrast, tides seemed to play a secondary role by partially speeding up or slowing down the westward currents, depending on the phase of the tide. A detailed characterization of this unusual phenomenon in the Strait of Gibraltar is relevant from diverse aspects, encompassing search and rescue operations, the management of accidental marine pollution episodes or efficient ship routing.

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The MEDESS-GIB database: tracking the Atlantic water inflow

Cited by 43 publications

References 29 publications

The Role of an Intense Front on the Connectivity of the Western Mediterranean Sea: The Cartagena‐Tenes Front

The Role of an Intense Front on the Connectivity of the Western Mediterranean Sea: The Cartagena‐Tenes Front

Real-time Reconstruction of Surface Velocities from Satellite Observations in the Alboran Sea

Long-Term Monitoring of the Atlantic Jet through the Strait of Gibraltar with HF Radar Observations

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