Vertical velocities and biological consequences at a front detected at the balearic sea

Balbín, Rosa; Flexas, María del Mar; López-Jurado, José Luís; Peña, Marian; Amores, Ángel; Alemany, F.

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2012.06.008

Cited by 40 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…More recent observations from December of 2009 also documented an increase in mesozooplankton and fish biomass in regions of intense frontal activities [20]. Our model findings indeed provide quantitative support for this feature by showing enhanced phytoplankton biomass in anticyclonic eddies in this region.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Ageostrophic Frontal Processes Controlling Phytoplankton Production in the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean)

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Buoyancy-induced unstable boundary currents and the accompanying retrograde density fronts are often the sites of pronounced mesoscale activity, ageostrophic frontal processes, and associated high biological production in marginal seas. Biophysical model simulations of the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean) illustrated that the unstable and nonlinear southward frontal boundary current along the Spanish coast resulted in a strain-driven frontogenesis mechanism. High upwelling velocities of up to 80 m d-1 injected nutrients into the photic layer and promoted enhanced production on the less dense, onshore side of the front characterized by negative relative vorticity. Additional down-front wind stress and heat flux (cooling) intensified boundary current instabilities and thus ageostrophic cross-frontal circulation and augmented production. Specifically, entrainment of nutrients by relatively strong buoyancy-induced vertical mixing gave rise to a more widespread phytoplankton biomass distribution within the onshore side of the front. Mesoscale cyclonic eddies contributed to production through an eddy pumping mechanism, but it was less effective and more limited regionally than the frontal processes. The model was configured for the Catalano-Balearic Sea, but the mechanisms and model findings apply to other marginal seas with similar unstable frontal boundary current systems.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Ageostrophic Frontal Processes Controlling Phytoplankton Production in the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean)

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first episode, described in Balbín et al . [], corresponds to the two eddies marked with a square in Table . The second eddy is marked with a circle in Table .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They concluded that the Balearic Front is the northward extension of the eddy‐dominated regime of the Algerian subbasin, which is well known for its strong mesoscale activity [ Millot et al ., ]. Many works have shown afterward the existence of these structures in the Balearic Current using satellite data, drifting buoys, oceanographic cruises, gliders, and/or modeling tools [ Tintoré et al ., ; Pinot et al ., ; Álvarez et al ., ; Ruiz et al ., ; Rubio et al ., ; Balbín et al ., ; Bouffard et al ., ]. In particular, Pascual et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Vertical structure and temporal evolution of an anticyclonic eddy in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean)

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] An anticyclonic eddy in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean) was described using data from a mooring line deployed at the northern slope of Mallorca Island at about 900 m deep. Its surface signature was investigated using sea surface height and sea surface temperature images. The eddy, which lasted around 1 month, modified the thermohaline characteristics and the currents of the entire water column. Levantine Intermediate Waters, usually resident in the region, were displaced by colder and fresher Western Mediterranean Intermediate Waters associated with the eddy. Along-slope main currents (toward NE) were completely reversed at 500 m and significantly deviated at 900 m. Interestingly, near-bottom velocities were found to be systematically larger than those at intermediate depths. Furthermore, during the eddy, velocities reached values up to 26 cm/s at the bottom, 5 times larger than the bottom average speed. The recurrence of the phenomenon was explored with an eddy detection tool applied to satellite observations. Results indicated that anticyclonic eddies are common structures in the Balearic Current.Citation: Amores, A., S. Monserrat, and M. Marcos (2013), Vertical structure and temporal evolution of an anticyclonic eddy in the

show abstract

“…The seasonal SLA maps in Figures rs suggest that the eddy persists even longer, until winter 2010, but examination of individual weekly maps reveals an interruption, and it appears that a new eddy is spawned northwest of Mallorca in late May 2009; the intense frontal region associated with this new eddy (Figure r) is investigated by Balbín et al . [].…”

Section: Interannual Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale variability in the Balearic Sea: An altimetric perspective

Mason

Pascual

2013

JGR Oceans

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] The present-day availability of an 18 year record of 1=8 merged Mediterranean Sea sea level anomaly (SLA) data enables a contemporary description of long-term mesoscale activity in the Balearic Sea. SLA data from satellite altimetry are used to study the variability of sea level and surface geostrophic circulation at different spatial and temporal scales within this complex and relatively understudied region in the western Mediterranean (WMED). We find that the mean Northern Current along the Iberian slope is strongest in autumn, although higher variability in winter leads to stronger peaks in kinetic energy. The Balearic Current, which flows along the northern slopes of the Balearic islands, also has its maximum expression in autumn. Across the two Balearic channels (Ibiza and Mallorca), key locations that partly regulate meridional exchange in the WMED, observed seasonal variability in geostrophic velocity anomalies conforms rather well to prior descriptions, suggesting cautious confidence in the use of the Mediterranean merged altimeter product in nearshore regions. Circulation through the channels is maximum in winter. The channel data support the hypothesis that the channel circulation may be hindered by the intermittent presence of the Western Intermediate Water mass, which sometimes forms in winter in the Gulf of Lions. This is the first time that an analysis of variability in the Balearic channels has been performed using altimetric data.

show abstract

Vertical velocities and biological consequences at a front detected at the balearic sea

Cited by 40 publications

References 28 publications

Ageostrophic Frontal Processes Controlling Phytoplankton Production in the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean)

Ageostrophic Frontal Processes Controlling Phytoplankton Production in the Catalano-Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean)

Vertical structure and temporal evolution of an anticyclonic eddy in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean)

Multiscale variability in the Balearic Sea: An altimetric perspective

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About