A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

Etude de la circulation dans l'Atlantique Nord Central par une methode variationnelle inverse

SIGLEINIST T 76696 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Monitoring water masses properties by Glider in Sardinia Channel during summer 2014

International audience1. Summary In the framework of the EC funded project, PERSEUS (WP3, Subtask 3.3.1: Repeated glider sections in key channels and sub-basin) and with the support of JERICO TNA (EU-FP7), a deep water glider (up to 1000m) was deployed from the R/V Tethys in the Sardinia Channel and has carried out 3 return trips during the period spanning from the 16th of August 2014 to the 19th of September 2014. The Gilder was equipped with CTD, O2 sensors, Fluorometers (ChlA), back scattering from 470 to 880 nm and was programmed to follow a path close to SARAL satellite track #887. During this experiment, a significant dataset, as never obtained before for this area, has been collected. The innovation stands in the high spatial resolution, in the temporal repetitivity and in the number of parameters sampled simultaneously. The first step of the work will focuses on the analysis of the hydrological properties of the existing water masses in the area. 2. Frame and aim of the experiment The Sardinia Channel is a zonally oriented passage connecting the Algerian and the Tyrrhenian basins, with a sill depth of about 1900 m. In spite of the considerable amount of work achieved and accurate results obtained about the circulation in the Western Mediterranean Sea, during the last 20 years, the Sardinia Channel is still one of the region where the dynamical processes and water exchanges are not clearly identified. Previous studies (Garzoli S. and C. Maillard, 1979, and Ozturgut Erdogan, 1975) pointed out the complexity of the processes in the region and the role of the bottom topography in sustaining them, and provided a first estimation of the involved fluxes. The main knowledge about the water masses crossing this region mostly concerns the AW (Atlantic Water) and the LIW (Levantine Intermediate Water). Along the Algerian coast, the AW is transported mainly by the Algerian current (AC Millot, 1985) from which the anticyclonic Algerian eddies (AEs, Puillat et al., 2002; Taupier-Letage et al., 2003), often involving surface and intermediate waters, are generated by baroclinic instabilities of the AC itself. The AEs generally remain more or less included in the main AC flow. The AEs alongslope-downstream propagation usually ends in the Channel of Sardinia, where AEs dramatically interact with the bathymetry and can remain almost blocked in the Sardinia Channel area for several months before collapsing (Puillat et al., 2002). In order to clarify some of these processes, including the behavior of the Algerian current and associated eddies, our methodology is based on a combined approach using glider observations and sea surface features observed by satellite. By autonomously collecting high-quality observations in three dimensions, gliders allow high-resolution oceanographic monitoring and provide useful contributions for the understanding of mesoscale dynamics and multidisciplinary interactions (e.g., Hodges and Fratantoni, 2009). On top of that, the glider route follows the ground track of the satellite SARAL, equipped with a Ka band altimeter (AltiKa), with the view to implement a methodology of analysis as performed by Bouffard et al. (2010). The main objectives of the project are : • identification of the physical properties of the surface and intermediate water masses between Northern Tunisian Coast and Sardinia and evaluation of the transport of water, salt and heat through the area • study of the variability of the physical properties of surface and intermediate water masses through the use of in-situ and satellite data. • understanding exchanges through sub-basins and the complex interactions through eddies • validation of the operational hydrodynamic numerical model of the western Mediterranean (http://www.seaforecast.cnr.it/en/fl/wmed.php) through the use of in-situ and satellite data. 3. Preliminary results of the experiment The glider carried out 6 legs during the period spanning from the 16th of August 2014 to the 19th of September 2014: Leg#1 (16 to 23 August 2014), Leg#2 (23 to 28 August 2014), Leg#3 (28 Aug. to 03 Sept. 2014) Leg#4 (03 to 08 Sept. 2014), Leg#5 (08 to 13 Sept. 2014), Leg#6 (13 to 19 Sept. 2014). As mentioned above, the first aim of this work is to analyze the hydrological properties of the surface and intermediate water masses and their variability, focusing first on T/S properties. The comparison of the successive T/S diagrams and T/S hydrological sections allows us to quantify the intensity of temporal variability and to assess mixing processes occurring within and between water masses. The core of LIW is clearly observed with S>38.7 psu (T~13.75 °C, S~38.75 psu) at depths between 250m and 450m and the spreading of this water mass appears clearly from one leg to the other. According Astraldi et al. (2002), this water mass is coming from the strait of Sicily and outflows into the Algero-Provencal Basin. This water mass should not be confounded with the so-called 'old' LIW, that recirculates to reenter the lower intermediate layer of the area from west to east. Near the surface, lenses of fresh water are observed at about 50m depth, all along the section, with a typical radius of 20 km. These lenses are generated by the meandering of the Algerian Current, which is advecting MAW first eastward along the Algerian slope, and then, at the vicinity of the Channel of Sardinia, a few lenses (AEs according Puillat et al., 2002) detach from the Algerian slope and propagate along the Sardinian one. We will show that the signature of these lenses are also detected by satellite, both in the altimetric signal and in the sea color radiometric data. 4. References • Astraldi, M., Conversano, F., Civitarese, G., Gasparini, G. P., Ribera d'Alcalà, M., and Vetrano, A.,: Water mass properties and chemical signatures in the central Mediterranean region, J. Mar. Syst., 33-34, 155-177, 2002 • Bouffard, J., A. Pascual, S. Ruiz, Y. Faugère, and J. Tintoré (2010), Coastal and mesoscale dynamics characterization using altimetry and gliders: A case study in the Balearic Sea, J. Geophys. Res., 115, C10029, doi:10.1029/2009JC006087. • Garzoli S. and C. Maillard, Winter circulation in the Sicily and Sardinia straits region. Deep-Sea Research, vol. 26A, 933-954, 1979. • Hodges, B. A. and D. M. Fratantoni, 2009. A thin layer of phytoplankton observed in the Philippine Sea with a synthetic moored array of autonomous gliders. Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 114, doi:10.1029/2009JC005294. • Millot, C. (1987a) Circulation in the Western Mediterranean. Oceanologica Acta 10(2), 143-149. • Ozturgut Erdogan, Temporal and spatial variability of water masses: the Strait of Sicily (Medmiloc 72). Saclantcen SM-65, pp 26, 1975. • Puillat I., I. Taupier-Letage, C. Millot, 2002: Algerian Eddies lifetime can near 3 years - Journal of Marine Systems 31, 245- 259 • Ruiz S., Pascual A., Garau B., Pujol I., Tintoré J. 2009. Vertical motion in the upper ocean from glider and altimetry data, Geophys. Res. Lett. 36(14): L14607. • Taupier-Letage et al, J.Geophys.Res., 108, 3245, 2003. • Testor P., K. Béranger and L. Mortier (2005). Modeling the deep eddy field in the southwestern Mediterranean: the life cycle of Sardinian Eddies. In Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol. 32(13):13602

Monitoring of Water Masses Properties in the Channel of Sardinia by Glider and Satellites Observations

Edited by L. Ouwehand. ESA SP-734, ISBN 978-92-9221-298-8., p.83International audienceIn the framework of the EC funded project, PERSEUS (Subtask 3.3.1: Repeated glider sections in key channels and sub-basin) and with the support of JERICO TNA (EU-FP7), a deep water glider (up to 1000m) was deployed from the R/V Tethys in the Sardinia Channel and has carried out 3 return trips during the period from the 16th of August 2014 to the 19th of September 2014. The Gilder was programmed to follow a path close to SARAL satellite track #887. In this paper, after an overview of the hydrological properties of the water masses in the area highlighted by the glider data, we are focusing on a joint analysis of in-situ and satellite data to understand the behavior of a cyclonic eddy observed in the area

Regional Risk Assessment addressing the impacts of climate change in the coastal area of the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia)

Sound, cost efficient management strategies in developed coastal zones can be reinforced by a thorough understanding of risks associated with the combination of anthropogenic and natural drivers of change. A Regional Risk Assessment (RRA) methodology was developed for the assessment of the potential impacts of climate change in the Tunisian coastal zone of the Gulf of Gabes. It is based on the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis techniques and Geographic Information Systems and is designed to support the development and prioritization of adaptation strategies. The RRA focuses on sea-level rise and storm surge flooding impacts for human and natural systems, i.e., beaches, wetlands, urban areas, agricultural areas, and terrestrial ecosystems. Results suggest that for both of the studied climate change impacts, i.e., sea-level rise and storm surge flooding, the area potentially exposed is limited to a narrow, low elevation region adjacent to the shoreline. However, the exposed areas showed a high relative risk score, obtained by the integration of exposure and susceptibility factors. Beaches have the lowest relative risk scores, while wetlands and terrestrial ecosystems have the higher relative risk scores. The final outputs of the analysis (i.e., exposure, susceptibility, and risk maps) can support end-users in the establishment of relative priorities for intervention and in the identification of suitable areas for human settlements, infrastructure, and economic activities, thus providing a basis for coastal zoning and land-use planning

Challenges for Sustained Observing and Forecasting Systems in the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean community represented in this paper is the result of more than 30 years of EU and nationally funded coordination, which has led to key contributions in science concepts and operational initiatives. Together with the establishment of operational services, the community has coordinated with universities, research centers, research infrastructures and private companies to implement advanced multi-platform and integrated observing and forecasting systems that facilitate the advancement of operational services, scientific achievements and mission-oriented innovation. Thus, the community can respond to societal challenges and stakeholders needs, developing a variety of fit-for-purpose services such as the Copernicus Marine Service. The combination of state-of-the-art observations and forecasting provides new opportunities for downstream services in response to the needs of the heavily populated Mediterranean coastal areas and to climate change. The challenge over the next decade is to sustain ocean observations within the research community, to monitor the variability at small scales, e.g., the mesoscale/submesoscale, to resolve the sub-basin/seasonal and inter-annual variability in the circulation, and thus establish the decadal variability, understand and correct the model-associated biases and to enhance model-data integration and ensemble forecasting for uncertainty estimation. Better knowledge and understanding of the level of Mediterranean variability will enable a subsequent evaluation of the impacts and mitigation of the effect of human activities and climate change on the biodiversity and the ecosystem, which will support environmental assessments and decisions. Further challenges include extending the science-based added-value products into societal relevant downstream services and engaging with communities to build initiatives that will contribute to the 2030 Agenda and more specifically to SDG14 and the UN's Decade of Ocean Science for sustainable development, by this contributing to bridge the science-policy gap. The Mediterranean observing and forecasting capacity was built on the basis of community best practices in monitoring and modeling, and can serve as a basis for the development of an integrated global ocean observing system