Seasonal and interannual variability of surface heat and freshwater fluxes in the Mediterranean Sea: budgets and exchange through the Strait of Gibraltar

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Criado-Aldeanueva ◽  
F. Javier Soto-Navarro ◽  
Jesús García-Lafuente
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Surface Heat ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variability ◽  
Freshwater Fluxes ◽  
The Mediterranean

A Near-Uniform Basin-Wide Sea Level Fluctuation of the Mediterranean Sea

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ichiro Fukumori ◽  
Dimitris Menemenlis ◽  
Tong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Level Fluctuation ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuation ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract A new basin-wide oscillation of the Mediterranean Sea is identified and analyzed using sea level observations from the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon satellite altimeter and a numerical ocean circulation model. More than 50% of the large-scale, nontidal, and non-pressure-driven variance of sea level can be attributed to this oscillation, which is nearly uniform in phase and amplitude across the entire basin. The oscillation has periods ranging from 10 days to several years and has a magnitude as large as 10 cm. The model suggests that the fluctuations are driven by winds at the Strait of Gibraltar and its neighboring region, including the Alboran Sea and a part of the Atlantic Ocean immediately to the west of the strait. Winds in this region force a net mass flux through the Strait of Gibraltar to which the Mediterranean Sea adjusts almost uniformly across its entire basin with depth-independent pressure perturbations. The wind-driven response can be explained in part by wind setup; a near-stationary balance is established between the along-strait wind in this forcing region and the sea level difference between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The amplitude of this basin-wide wind-driven sea level fluctuation is inversely proportional to the setup region’s depth but is insensitive to its width including that of Gibraltar Strait. The wind-driven fluctuation is coherent with atmospheric pressure over the basin and contributes to the apparent deviation of the Mediterranean Sea from an inverse barometer response.

scholarly journals Anthropogenic and natural CO<sub>2</sub> exchange through the Strait of Gibraltar

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 647-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. E. Huertas ◽  
A. F. Ríos ◽  
J. García-Lafuente ◽  
A. Makaoui ◽  
S. Rodríguez-Gálvez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Anthropogenic Carbon ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Mediterranean Water

Abstract. The exchange of both anthropogenic and natural inorganic carbon between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea through Strait of Gibraltar was studied for a period of two years under the frame of the CARBOOCEAN project. A comprehensive sampling program was conducted, which was design to collect samples at eight fixed stations located in the Strait in successive cruises periodically distributed through the year in order to ensure a good spatial and temporal coverage. As a result of this monitoring, a time series namely GIFT (GIbraltar Fixed Time series) has been established, allowing the generation of an extensive data set of the carbon system parameters in the area. Data acquired during the development of nine campaigns were analyzed in this work. Total inorganic carbon concentration (CT) was calculated from alkalinity-pHT pairs and appropriate thermodynamic relationships, with the concentration of anthropogenic carbon (CANT) being also computed using two methods, the ΔC* and the TrOCA approach. Applying a two-layer model of water mass exchange through the Strait and using a value of −0.85 Sv for the average transport of the outflowing Mediterranean water recorded in situ during the considered period, a net export of inorganic carbon from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic was obtained, which amounted to 25±0.6 Tg C yr−1. A net alkalinity output of 16±0.6 Tg C yr−1 was also observed to occur through the Strait. In contrast, the Atlantic water was found to contain a higher concentration of anthropogenic carbon than the Mediterranean water, resulting in a net flux of CANT towards the Mediterranean basin of 4.20±0.04 Tg C yr−1 by using the ΔC* method, which constituted the most adequate approach for this environment. A carbon balance in the Mediterranean was assessed and fluxes through the Strait are discussed in relation to the highly diverse estimates available in the literature for the area and the different approaches considered for CANT estimation. This work unequivocally confirms the relevant role of the Strait of Gibraltar as a controlling point for the biogeochemical exchanges occurring between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and emphasizes the influence of the Mediterranean basin in the carbon inventories of the North Atlantic.

The reproductive biology of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Strait of Gibraltar

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noureddine Abid ◽  
Amin Laglaoui ◽  
Abdelhay Arakrak ◽  
Mohammed Bakkali
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Mixing Rate ◽  
The North ◽  
Lower Jaw ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Maturity

During the period from April to September for the years 2014–2016, 998 swordfishes caught by the Moroccan artisanal longline fishery in the Strait of Gibraltar were sampled to study the reproduction of this species in this mixing area between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic. The results showed that the sex ratio is slightly in favour of males for sizes smaller than 130 cm LJFL (Lower jaw-fork length), whereas females are more numerous in sizes larger than 140 cm LJFL. Fifty per cent of females were estimated to be mature at 170 cm LJFL, while for males, the size at first maturity was estimated to be 95 cm LJFL. The swordfish spawn from June to September, probably in the Mediterranean Sea. The findings of this study suggest that the reproductive characteristics of swordfish caught in the Strait of Gibraltar are similar to those of the Mediterranean swordfish, and a high mixing rate between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic stocks occurs in the study area.

scholarly journals The role of the Strait of Gibraltar in shaping the genetic structure of the Mediterranean Grenadier, Coryphaenoides mediterraneus, between the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. e0174988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Catarino ◽  
Sergio Stefanni ◽  
Per Erik Jorde ◽  
Gui M. Menezes ◽  
Joan B. Company ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals Interannual variability of the Mediterranean outflow observed in Espartel sill, western Strait of Gibraltar

2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (C10) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. García-Lafuente ◽  
J. Delgado ◽  
A. Sánchez Román ◽  
J. Soto ◽  
L. Carracedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Mediterranean Outflow ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals Interannual variability of the Mediterranean trophic regimes from ocean color satellites

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 14941-14980 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mayot ◽  
F. D'Ortenzio ◽  
M. Ribera d'Alcalà ◽  
H. Lavigne ◽  
H. Claustre
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Ocean Color ◽  
Run Off ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. D'Ortenzio and Ribera d'Alcalà (2009, DR09 hereafter) divided the Mediterranean Sea into "bioregions" based on the climatological seasonality (phenology) of phytoplankton. Here we investigate the interannual variability of this bioregionalization. Using 16 years of available ocean color observations (i.e. SeaWiFS and MODIS), we analyzed the spatial distribution of the DR09 trophic regimes on an annual basis. Additionally, we identified new trophic regimes, with seasonal cycles of phytoplankton biomass different from the DR09 climatological description and named "Anomalous". Overall, the classification of the Mediterranean phytoplankton phenology proposed by DR09 (i.e. "No Bloom", "Intermittently", "Bloom" and "Coastal"), is confirmed to be representative of most of the Mediterranean phytoplankton phenologies. The mean spatial distribution of these trophic regimes (i.e. bioregions) over the 16 years studied is also similar to the one proposed by DR09. But at regional scale some annual differences, in their spatial distribution and in the emergence of "Anomalous" trophic regimes, were observed compared to the DR09 description. These dissimilarities with the DR09 study were related to interannual variability in the sub-basin forcing: winter deep convection events, frontal instabilities, inflow of Atlantic or Black Sea Waters and river run-off. The large assortment of phytoplankton phenologies identified in the Mediterranean Sea is thus verified at interannual level, confirming the "sentinel" role of this basin to detect the impact of climate changes on the pelagic environment.

scholarly journals Sertularia marginata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the Mediterranean: an alien species in expansion?

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. GONZÁLEZ-DUARTE ◽  
C. MEGINA ◽  
M. BETHENCOURT
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Natural Zones ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Natural Means

Mature and dense populations of the tropical hydroid species Sertulariamarginata were detected in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) and in the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar. Until now, it had only been recorded in the eastern basin within the Mediterranean Sea.This species has previously been recorded in estuaries and anthropogenichabitats but, in the area studied here, we only found it in natural zones. These observations could indicate an early expansion and naturalization in the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its limited dispersion capacity by its own natural means and the history of its records, the observations provided here support the hypothesis of an arrival and a spread by anthropogenic vectors.A pathway of arrival and dispersion of alien species into the Mediterranean Sea is proposed for future monitoring: from Macaronesia (particularly Canary Islands) to the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar and from here into the Mediterranean.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document