Validation of HF radar sea surface currents in the Malta-Sicily Channel

Capodici, Fulvio; Cosoli, Simone; Ciraolo, Giuseppe; Nasello, Carmelo; Poulain, Pierre‐Marie; Drago, Aldo; Azzopardi, Joel; Gauci, Adam

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2019.02.026

Cited by 24 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Metrics for the HFR-drifter comparisons during the TOSCA experiment, summarized in Table 2, provide typical correlation values for the U (V) components of R U = 0.76 (R V = 0.75), with slope and intercept values of the regression line a U = 0.67 (a V = 0.60 cm/s) and b U = −0.48 (b V = 1.99 cm/s), respectively. Comparison metrics for HFR observation within the GoT are consistent with, if not even better than, comparison metrics derived from drifters in other regions (see, for instance [48,49]).…”

Section: Radar-drifter Comparisonsupporting

confidence: 69%

Multi-Platform, High-Resolution Study of a Complex Coastal System: The TOSCA Experiment in the Gulf of Trieste

Querin

Cosoli

Gerin

et al. 2021

JMSE

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Although small in size, the Gulf of Trieste (GoT), a marginal coastal basin in the northern Adriatic Sea, is characterized by very complex dynamics and strong variability of its oceanographic conditions. In April–May 2012, a persistent, large-scale anticyclonic eddy was observed in the GoT. This event was captured by both High Frequency Radar (HFR) and Lagrangian drifter observations collected within the European MED TOSCA (Tracking Oil Spill and Coastal Awareness) project. The complexity of the system and the variety of forcing factors constitute major challenges from a numerical modeling perspective when it comes to simulating the observed features. In this study, we implemented a high-resolution hydrodynamic model in an attempt to reproduce and analyze the observed basin-wide eddy structure and determine its drivers. We adopted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model (MITgcm), tailored for the GoT, nested into a large-scale simulation of the Adriatic Sea and driven by a tidal model, measured river freshwater discharge data and surface atmospheric forcing. Numerical results were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated against HFR surface current maps, Lagrangian drifter trajectories and thermohaline data, showing good skills in reproducing the general circulation, but failing in accurately tracking the drifters. Model sensitivity to different forcing factors (wind, river and tides) was also assessed.

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Section: Radar-drifter Comparisonsupporting

confidence: 69%

Multi-Platform, High-Resolution Study of a Complex Coastal System: The TOSCA Experiment in the Gulf of Trieste

Querin

Cosoli

Gerin

et al. 2021

JMSE

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“…From December 2012 through January 2013, drifters were captured by the anticyclonic gyre for about four weeks (approximately between 14 December 2012 and 10 January 2013) before being transported out of the plateau (Figure 9a). This gyre is also confirmed by the trajectory of the float WMO 6901044 ( Figure 10a) and by HF radar measurements [29,30]. On 22 March 2014, six drifters were deployed in the area and were trapped in the gyre for about 2 weeks (Figure 9b).…”

Section: Malta Plateausupporting

confidence: 60%

New Insights of the Sicily Channel and Southern Tyrrhenian Sea Variability

Menna

Poulain

Ciani

et al. 2019

Water

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The dynamics of the Sicily Channel and the southern Tyrrhenian Sea are highly influenced by the seasonal variability of the Mediterranean basin-wide circulation, by the interannual variability of the numerous mesoscale structures present in the Channel, and by the decadal variability of the adjacent Ionian Sea. In the present study, all these aspects are investigated using in-situ (Lagrangian drifter trajectories and Argo float profiles) and satellite data (Absolute Dynamic Topography, Sea Level Anomaly, Sea Surface Temperature, wind products) over the period from 1993 to 2018. The availability of long time series of data and high-resolution multi-sensor surface currents allow us to add new details on the circulation features and on their driving mechanisms and to detect new permanent eddies not yet described in literature. The structures prevailing in winter are mainly driven by wind, whereas those prevailing in summer are regulated by topographical forcing on surface currents. The strength of the surface structures located at the western entrance of the Ionian Sea and of the mesoscale activity along the northern Sicily coast is modulated by the large-scale internal variability. The vertical hydrological characteristics of these mesoscale eddies are delineated using the Argo float profiles inside these structures.

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“…Indeed, at the basin scale the RS18 method brought the largest improvements for the meridional component of the motion. Nevertheless, here we are restricting our analysis to a much smaller coastal area in which our reference, the HFR currents, are known to be more accurate in retrieving the zonal component of the motion [43], probably affecting the statistics on the meridional flow.…”

Section: Comparative Analysis: Optimal Currents Validation In the Malmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Synergetic Approach for the Space-Based Sea Surface Currents Retrieval in the Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2019

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We present a method for the remote retrieval of the sea surface currents in the Mediterranean Sea. Combining the altimeter-derived currents with sea-surface temperature information, we created daily, gap-free high resolution maps of sea surface currents for the period 2012–2016. The quality of the new multi-sensor currents has been assessed through comparisons to other surface-currents estimates, as the ones obtained from drifting buoys trajectories (at the basin scale), or HF-Radar platforms and ocean numerical model outputs in the Malta–Sicily Channel. The study yielded that our synergetic approach can improve the present-day derivation of the surface currents in the Mediterranean area up to 30% locally, with better performances for the the meridional component of the motion and in the western section of the basin. The proposed reconstruction method also showed satisfying performances in the retrieval of the ageostrophic circulation in the Sicily Channel. In this area, assuming the High Frequency Radar-derived currents as reference, the merged multi-sensor currents exhibited improvements with respect to the altimeter estimates and numerical model outputs, mainly due to their enhanced spatial and temporal resolution.

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Validation of HF radar sea surface currents in the Malta-Sicily Channel

Cited by 24 publications

References 33 publications

Multi-Platform, High-Resolution Study of a Complex Coastal System: The TOSCA Experiment in the Gulf of Trieste

Multi-Platform, High-Resolution Study of a Complex Coastal System: The TOSCA Experiment in the Gulf of Trieste

New Insights of the Sicily Channel and Southern Tyrrhenian Sea Variability

A Synergetic Approach for the Space-Based Sea Surface Currents Retrieval in the Mediterranean Sea

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