The Regime of the Strait of Gibraltar

Lacombe, H.; Richez, Claude

doi:10.1016/s0422-9894(08)71237-6

Cited by 151 publications

(99 citation statements)

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“…Earlier estimates from hydrographic data yield -consistent with the higher outflow rates and similar salinity differences between inflowing and outflowing water at Gibraltar -higher estimates of the net evaporation of the Mediterranean Sea: e.g. 0.75 m/yr (Lacombe and Richez, 1982) and 0.95 m/yr (Bethoux, 1979). Estimates involving precipitation and evaporation from reanalyses tend to be somewhat lower (between 0.37 and 0.52 m/yr, see e.g.…”

Section: Climate Of the Control Simulationsupporting

confidence: 53%

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Modeling Mediterranean Ocean climate of the Last Glacial Maximum

Mikolajewicz

2011

Clim. Past

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Abstract.A regional ocean general circulation model of the Mediterranean is used to study the climate of the Last Glacial Maximum. The atmospheric forcing for these simulations has been derived from simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model, which in turn was forced with surface conditions from a coarse resolution earth system model. The model is successful in reproducing the general patterns of reconstructed sea surface temperature anomalies with the strongest cooling in summer in the northwestern Mediterranean and weak cooling in the Levantine, although the model underestimates the extent of the summer cooling in the western Mediterranean. However, there is a strong vertical gradient associated with this pattern of summer cooling, which makes the comparison with reconstructions complicated. The exchange with the Atlantic is decreased to roughly one half of its present value, which can be explained by the shallower Strait of Gibraltar as a consequence of lower global sea level. This reduced exchange causes a strong increase of salinity in the Mediterranean in spite of reduced net evaporation.

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Section: Climate Of the Control Simulationsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Baschek et al (2001) from current meter moorings 0.81 Sv. Older estimates are somewhat higher, Lacombe and Richez (1982) estimated this to be 1.15 Sv, Bethoux (1979) even 1.6 Sv. Thus the model outflow is quite realistic and consistent with actual estimates.…”

Section: Climate Of the Control Simulationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Modeling Mediterranean Ocean climate of the Last Glacial Maximum

Mikolajewicz

2011

Clim. Past

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“…It then turns southward as the Almeria-Oran jet, lying on top of the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW, S > 37.5 and T < 15°C, Millot, 1999). Lacombe & Richez (1982) defined the Atlantic Mediterranean Interface (AMI) as the sub-surface mixing interface between MAW and LIW (S = 37.0-37.5 and T = 15-20 °C). Finally, MAW continues eastward along the Algerian coast as the unstable 'Algerian Current', which may produce further mesoscale structures (Millot, 1999;Send et al, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fibrocapsa japonica (Raphidophyceae) occurrence and ecological features within the phytoplankton assemblage of a cyclonic eddy, offshore the Eastern Alboran Sea.

et al. 2014

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The Raphidophycean Fibrocapsa japonica Toriumi & Takano was detected for the first time offshore in the Eastern Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) in October 2006. Its distribution appeared very localised and atypical, as it was abundant only in the open waters of a cyclonic eddy. Microscope counts of the natural phytoplankton assemblages revealed that F. japonica was dominant in the microplankton, together with Dinophyceae, within and below the cyclonic nutrient-rich dome (25 - 30 m). Bacillariophyceae were the primary microplanktonic fraction in only a few samples. Moderately high abundances of F. japonica (maximum of 60 cells ml-1), with preliminary cysts and many cells aggregated in mucous nets, indicated a senescent phase. We also suggest a Mediterranean origin for this species. This was confirmed by molecular identification and by a water temperature of 15 °C, which could have favoured pre-cyst formation. Finally, we hypothesise that F. japonica, which is generally a coastal species, could have a coastal origin. Since F. japonica was confined to the cyclonic waters, which typically derive from coastal waters, it was collected at a depth of 40-60 m at the coastal sites and it is generally a coastal species, we hypothesise that it could have a coastal origin and it was entrapped by the cyclonic eddy, which could have carried offshore this harmful species.

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“…[2] The Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea through a system of sills and narrows, is the scenario of a well-studied baroclinic exchange driven by the net evaporative losses in the Mediterranean Sea [Lacombe and Richez, 1982;Bryden and Kinder, 1991;Bryden et al, 1994;García Lafuente et al, 2000]. A long term barotropic flow Q 0 of the order of 0.05 Sv (Sverdrup, 1 Sv = 10 6 m 3 s À1 ), which is achieved as the difference of an inflow Q 1 and an outflow Q 2 one order of magnitude greater, is necessary to compensate for the evaporation in the Mediterranean.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent observations of seasonal variability of the Mediterranean outflow in the Strait of Gibraltar

et al. 2007

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[1] Recent observations of the outflowing Mediterranean water collected near the bottom in key points of the Strait of Gibraltar show the existence of a seasonal cycle with warmer and lighter waters leaving the Mediterranean Sea in winter and cooler and denser waters in spring early summer. The amplitude of the signal is around 5 10 À2°C for potential temperature and 1.5 10 À2 for potential density, salinity hardly showing seasonal fluctuations. The outflow also shows a seasonal cycle with maximum volume transport in April, in coincidence with the minimum of the signal of potential temperature. A simple analysis of the composition of the outflow in terms of the main water masses of the western Mediterranean basin and its comparison with climate indicators suggests that the seasonal cycle follows the annual process of the Western Mediterranean Deep Water formation that replenish the deep portion of the basin by the end of winter and rises the level of the deep water reservoir, facilitating the suction of cooler and denser water from the Mediterranean over the sills of the Strait. From this time onwards, the data show a smooth warming that would be explained by the progressive fall of the level of the Western Mediterranean Deep Water as it is drained out the Mediterranean, which would leave warmer water available for suction. The process is asymmetric in the sense that the transition from high to low temperature is completed in a short period while the progressive warming spans a longer period.

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The Regime of the Strait of Gibraltar

Cited by 151 publications

References 1 publication

Modeling Mediterranean Ocean climate of the Last Glacial Maximum

Modeling Mediterranean Ocean climate of the Last Glacial Maximum

Fibrocapsa japonica (Raphidophyceae) occurrence and ecological features within the phytoplankton assemblage of a cyclonic eddy, offshore the Eastern Alboran Sea.

Recent observations of seasonal variability of the Mediterranean outflow in the Strait of Gibraltar

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