Tracking the Mediterranean outflow in the Gulf of Cadiz

Gasser, Marc; Pelegrí, Josep Lluís; Emelianov, Mikhail; Bruno, Miguel; Gràcia, Eulália; Pastor, Marcos Lafoz; Peters, Hartmut; Rodríguez-Santana, Ángel; Salvador, Joaquín; Sánchez-Leal, R.F.

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2017.05.015

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Bathymetric features strongly influence the initial conditions of the MOW and thus determine fundamental spatial and hydrodynamic constraints on its ultimate integration with other Atlantic water masses. The results presented here complement and quantify recent high-resolution mapping efforts of the GoC seafloor west of Gibraltar ( 10 , 20 ). Our description of this oceanographic transition demonstrates the interplay of geomorphologic and hydrodynamic factors in orchestrating a complex two-way flow pattern with major climatic implications.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 76%

The Mediterranean Overflow in the Gulf of Cadiz: A rugged journey

et al. 2017

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 76%

The Mediterranean Overflow in the Gulf of Cadiz: A rugged journey

et al. 2017

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“…MOW transport along the northern slope of Gulf of Cádiz appears as a narrow stream that flows westward along the slope. The averaged velocity in this region can reach 0.5-1 m s −1 , a value consistent with the current velocities found in the literature (Gasser et al, 2017;. South of the outflow stream, results sug-Á.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Its downward flow is disrupted by several transverse submarine valleys splitting up the stream into two different branches of different densities. Both branches flow along different erosive channels but finally converge near Cape St. Vincent forming, on the way, two differenced layers of the same water mass (Iorga and Lozier, 1999a, b;Gasser et al, 2017). MOW exits the Gulf of Cádiz at a buoyant depth around 1000 m and afterward it turns northwards following the western margin of the Iberian Peninsula.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several works have focused on the description of MOW in the Gulf of Cádiz, some of them based on observational in situ data (García-Lafuente et al, 2006;Machín et al, 2006;Machín and Pelegí, 2009) and others based on model products (Artale et al, 2006;Gasser et al, 2017;Izquierdo and Mikolajewicz, 2019). The consistency between both approaches has improved the knowledge of the oceanographic processes taking place in this area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regional circulation patterns of Mediterranean Outflow Water near the Iberian and African continental slopes

et al. 2019

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Abstract. The Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) is a dense water mass originated in the Strait of Gibraltar. Downstream of the Gulf of Cádiz, the MOW forms a reservoir region west of the Iberian continental slopes at a buoyant depth of approximately 1000 m. This region plays a key role as the main centre where the MOW is mixed and distributed into the North Atlantic. The seafloor in this area is characterized by the presence of a complex bathymetry with three abyssal plains separated by mountain chains. Although the topographic features do not reach the surface, they influence ocean flows at intermediate and deep ocean layers, conditioning the distribution and circulation of MOW. The Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS) Iberian–Biscay–Ireland (IBI) ocean reanalysis is used to provide a detailed view of the circulation and mixing processes of MOW near the Iberian and African continental slopes. This work emphasizes the relevance of the complex bathymetric features defining the circulation processes of MOW in this region. The high resolution of the IBI reanalysis allows us to make a description of the mesoscale features forced by the topography. The temperature, salinity, velocity, transport, and vorticity fields are analysed to understand the circulation patterns of MOW. The high-resolution circulation patterns reveal that Horseshoe Basin and the continental slope near Cape Ghir (a.k.a. Cap Rhir or Cabo de Aguer) are key areas controlling the mixing processes of MOW with the surrounding water masses, mainly North Atlantic Central Water (NACW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). The water mass variability is also analysed by means of composite analysis. Results indicate the existence of a variability in the MOW tongue which retracts and expands westwards in opposition to the movement of the underlying North Atlantic Deep Water.

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“…The MOW at the exit of the Strait of Gibraltar is a salty, high‐density current formed by a mixture of LIW and WMDW with an average salinity and temperature of 38.4 psu and 13°C, respectively (Figure 1) (Bryden & Stommel, 1982; Garcia‐Lafuente et al, 2017; Gasser et al, 2017; Hernández‐Molina et al, 2014; Millot, 2014; Sanchez‐Leal et al, 2017). After crossing the Camarinal Sill in the Strait of Gibraltar, at 290 m water depth, this dense MOW cascades down into the Gulf of Cadiz, as an overflow (Legg et al, 2009), accelerating because of its density anomaly and mixes and entrains the overlying fresher eastern North Atlantic central water (ENACW).…”

Section: Mow and Ne Atlantic Circulation Todaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mediterranean Overflow Over the Last 250 kyr: Freshwater Forcing From the Tropics to the Ice Sheets

Sierro

Hodell

Andersen

et al. 2020

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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To investigate past changes in the Mediterranean Overflow Water (MOW) to the Atlantic, we analyzed the strength of the MOW and benthic δ 13 C along the last 250 kyr at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1389 in the Gulf of Cadiz, near the Strait of Gibraltar. Both the strength of the MOW and the benthic δ 13 C were mainly driven by precession-controlled fluctuations in the Mediterranean hydrologic budget. Reduced/enhanced Nile discharge and lower/higher Mediterranean annual rainfall at precession maxima/minima resulted in higher/lower MOW strengths at Gibraltar and stronger/weaker Mediterranean overturning circulation. At millennial scale, the higher heat and freshwater loss to the atmosphere during Greenland stadials increased buoyancy loss in the eastern Mediterranean. This enhanced the density gradient with Atlantic water, resulting in a higher MOW velocity in the Gulf of Cadiz. Unlike non-Heinrich stadials, a lower-amplitude increase in velocity was seen during Heinrich stadials (HSs), and a significant drop in velocity was recorded in the middle phase. This weak MOW was especially recognized in Termination I and II during HS1 and HS11. These lower velocities at the depth of Site U1389 were triggered by MOW deepening due to the lower densities of Atlantic intermediate water caused by freshwater released from the Laurentide and Eurasian ice sheets. The intrusion of salt and heat at deeper depths in the Atlantic during HSs and its shoaling at the end could have contributed to drive the changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during Terminations.

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Tracking the Mediterranean outflow in the Gulf of Cadiz

Cited by 17 publications

References 66 publications

The Mediterranean Overflow in the Gulf of Cadiz: A rugged journey

The Mediterranean Overflow in the Gulf of Cadiz: A rugged journey

Regional circulation patterns of Mediterranean Outflow Water near the Iberian and African continental slopes

Mediterranean Overflow Over the Last 250 kyr: Freshwater Forcing From the Tropics to the Ice Sheets

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