Long-term sea surface temperature variability in the Aegean Sea

The inter-annual/decadal scale variability of the Aegean Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is investigated by means of long-term series of satellite-derived and in situ data. Monthly mean declouded SST maps are constructed over the 1985–2008 period, based on a re-analysis of AVHRR Oceans Pathfinder optimally interpolated data over the Aegean Sea. Basin-average SST time series are also constructed using the ICOADS in situ data over 1950–2006. Results indicate a small SST decreasing trend until the early nineties, and then a rapid surface warming consistent with the acceleration of the SST rise observed on the global ocean scale. Decadal-scale SST anomalies were found to be negatively correlated with the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index over the last 60 years suggesting that along with global warming effects on the regional scale, a part of the long-term SST variability in the Aegean Sea is driven by large scale atmospheric natural variability patterns. In particular, the acceleration of surface warming in the Aegean Sea began nearly simultaneously with the NAO index abrupt shift in the mid-nineties from strongly positive values to weakly positive/negative values

Nesting operational forecasting models in the Eastern Mediterranean: active and slave mode

Modern ocean operational systems involve different groups and tools, in different regions and scales. Blending all these in a unique system with reliable forecasting capabilities is an important task. The efficiency of nesting procedures between different scale and resolution models are crucial in determining whether the dynamics at the different scales are well represented at each level or the nesting technique suppresses the dynamical features emerging from individual modelling components. In the present work, we investigate the role of the initialization of telescopically nested and with double horizontal resolution forecasting systems in the Eastern Mediterranean, comparing the results between weekly initialized experiments ("slave'' mode) and "free'' runs ("active'' mode) at the regional (Aegean-Levantine area) and shelf (Cyprus) scale. It is found that, although the main circulation pattern remains similar, the differences in the domain mean kinetic energy between the "slave'' and the "active'' experiments in the Aegean-Levantine region are large in both September 2004 and January 2005, with the "active'' being much more energetic, while in the Cyprus area differences are significantly smaller. The most pronounced differences in the circulation and sea surface temperature and salinity fields are observed in the Aegean Sea, during September 2004, related to the inflow and spreading of the Black Sea Water, and the Rhodes Gyre, during January 2005, related to small-scale eddy activity developed and surviving in the "active'' mode experiment that decreases the area of the gyre

Deep-water formation in the Adriatic Sea: Interannual simulations for the years 1979-1999

Simulations of the interannual variability of the deep-water formation processes in the Adriatic basin for the years 1979-1999 are performed using the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) with a ∼10 km grid and 6-h atmospheric forcing provided by the European Center for Medium Weather Forecast (ECMWF). Focus is given to the pattern and amplitude of the interannual variability of the water mass formation processes in terms of deep-water formation sites, rates and characteristics. The connection of this variability with the interannual variability of (a) the atmospheric forcing and (b) the open boundary characteristics is investigated. The model performance is tested against the few available observations of deep-water formation processes inside the basin and generally shows a good agreement with the main characteristics of the mixed layer and the deep-water formation rates. A strong interannual variability is found in the calculated deep-water formation rate of the basin, which is highly dependent on the interannual variability of the atmospheric forcing. This rate becomes three times larger than climatology during the biennium 1992-1993, and during all years it is associated mostly with the events of enhanced buoyancy loss and not with the mean winter buoyancy fields. Advection through the open boundary plays an important role in determining the characteristics and volume of deep water formed inside the Adriatic basin, but it is the high frequency atmospheric forcing that determines the amplitude of the interannual variability of deep-water formation rates. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

An eddy resolving numerical study of the general circulation and deep-water formation in the Adriatic Sea

General circulation and deep-water formation (DWF) processes in the Adriatic basin in a climatological year were numerically simulated in a high-resolution (1/20th of a degree) implementation of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). The "perpetual" year atmospheric data were computed from the ECMWF Reanalysis data (1°×1°) covering the period 1979-1994. The model reproduces the main basin features of the general circulation, water mass distribution and their seasonal variability. The Adriatic Deep Water exiting through the Otranto Strait is produced with two different mechanisms inside the basin: (a) by open ocean deep convection over the Southern Adriatic Pit and Middle Adriatic Pit (b) on the continental shelf of the Northern and Middle Adriatic. The estimated contributions of both mechanisms suggest that 82% of the Adriatic Deep Water is formed inside the Southern Adriatic Pit, while all the higher density water in this water mass comes from the northern regions. The role of mesoscale eddies at the periphery of the dense-water chimney in the Southern Adriatic Pit was examined and their contribution to the lateral buoyancy flux, during the convection process, found to be small. The DWF rate at Otranto Strait is 0.28Sv with σθ over 29.15. The sensitivity of the DWF processes to interannual variability of the buoyancy forcing and river runoff was assessed with a number of process-study numerical experiments. In these experiments the effect of an imposed "extreme" buoyancy forcing during 1 year, on the DWF rates, was to modify them during the specific year, but the effects were still present in the following normal climatological year. This shows that the DWF rates and their mass characteristics at a specific year depend not only on the atmospheric conditions prevailing that specific year but on the previous year's as well, thus leading to the concept of a "memory" of the basin. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Satellite-derived variability of the Aegean Sea ecohydrodynamics

Eight years of AVHRR-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and SeaWiFS-derived surface chlorophyll (Chl) data (1998–2005) are used to investigate key processes affecting the spatial and temporal variability of the two parameters in the Aegean Sea. Seasonal mean SST and Chl maps are constructed using daily data to study seasonal dynamics whereas empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and correlational analysis is applied to the 8-day composite SST and Chl anomaly time-series in order to study the variability and co-variability of the two parameters from subseasonal to interannual time-scales. The seasonal mean fields show that Black Sea cold and chlorophyll-rich waters enter through the Dardanelles Strait and they are accumulated in the north-eastern part of the Aegean Sea, steered by the Samothraki anticyclone. Large chlorophyll concentrations are encountered in the hydrological front off the Dardanelles Strait as well as in coastal areas affected by large riverine/anthropogenic nutrient loads. The SST seasonal mean patterns reveal strong cooling that is associated with upwelling along the eastern boundary of the basin during summer due to strong northerly winds, a process which is not present in the surface chlorophyll climatology. The Chl dataset presents much stronger sub-seasonal variability than SST, with large variations in the phase and strength of the phytoplankton seasonal cycles. EOF analysis of the anomaly time-series shows that SST non-seasonal variability is controlled by synoptic weather variations and anomalies in the north–south wind-stress component regulating the summer coastal upwelling regime. Mean SST and Chl patterns, and their associated variations, are not closely linked implying that Black Sea and riverine inputs mainly control the intra-annual and interannual variability of the surface chlorophyll in the Aegean Sea rather than mixing and/or upwelling processes

Modelling the impact of Black Sea water inflow on the North Aegean Sea hydrodynamics

The impact of the Black Sea Water (BSW) inflow on the circulation and the water mass characteristics of the North Aegean Sea is investigated using a high-resolution 3D numerical model. Four climatological numerical experiments are performed exploring the effects of the exchange amplitude at the Dardanelles Straits in terms of the mean annual volume exchanged and the amplitude of its seasonal cycle. Larger inflow of low salinity BSW influences the water characteristics of the whole basin. The largest salinity reduction is encountered in the upper layers of the water column, and the most affected region is the northeastern part of the basin. The winter insulation character of the BSW layer (low-salinity layer) is reduced by the seasonal cycle of the inflow (minimum during winter). The maximum atmospheric cooling coincides with the minimum BSW inflow rate, weakening the vertical density gradients close to the surface and thus facilitating the vertical mixing. The inflow rate of BSW into the North Aegean Sea constitutes an essential factor for the circulation in the basin. Increased inflow rate results into considerably higher kinetic energy, stronger circulation and reinforcement of the mesoscale circulation features. Although the position of the front between BSW and waters of Levantine origin does not vary significantly with the intensity of the BSW inflow rate, the flow along the front becomes stronger and more unstable as the inflow rate increases, forming meanders and rings. The changes in the intensity of BSW inflow rate overpower the wind and thermohaline forcing and largely determine the general circulation of the North Aegean Sea

Modelling the impact of Black Sea Water inflow on the North Aegean Sea hydrodynamics

The impact of the Black Sea Water (BSW) inflow on the circulation and the water mass characteristics of the North Aegean Sea is investigated using a high-resolution 3D numerical model. Four climatological numerical experiments are performed exploring the effects of the exchange amplitude at the Dardanelles Straits in terms of the mean annual volume exchanged and the amplitude of its seasonal cycle. Larger inflow of low salinity BSW influences the water characteristics of the whole basin. The largest salinity reduction is encountered in the upper layers of the water column, and the most affected region is the northeastern part of the basin. The winter insulation character of the BSW layer (low-salinity layer) is reduced by the seasonal cycle of the inflow (minimum during winter). The maximum atmospheric cooling coincides with the minimum BSW inflow rate, weakening the vertical density gradients close to the surface and thus facilitating the vertical mixing. The inflow rate of BSW into the North Aegean Sea constitutes an essential factor for the circulation in the basin. Increased inflow rate results into considerably higher kinetic energy, stronger circulation and reinforcement of the mesoscale circulation features. Although the position of the front between BSW and waters of Levantine origin does not vary significantly with the intensity of the BSW inflow rate, the flow along the front becomes stronger and more unstable as the inflow rate increases, forming meanders and rings. The changes in the intensity of BSW inflow rate overpower the wind and thermohaline forcing and largely determine the general circulation of the North Aegean Sea. © Springer-Verlag 2010

The influence of Black Sea Water inflow and its synoptic time-scale variability in the North Aegean Sea hydrodynamics

The exchange water fluxes between the Black Sea and the North Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles Strait constitute an essential factor for the general circulation of the region. The Black Sea Water (BSW) inflow to the Aegean plays an important role in the hydrography and circulation of the basin and can affect the North Aegean deep water formation processes. Numerical experiments evaluating the influence of the time-scale variability (synoptic and seasonal) and the seasonality (period of maximum/minimum) of the Black Sea Water inflow on the dynamics of the North Aegean basin were performed. The experiments were carried out for the period from August 2008 to October 2009, using observed upper and lower-layer fluxes from the Dardanelles Strait, high-resolution atmospheric forcing, and boundary conditions derived from an operational system (ALERMO). The large-scale spatial patterns of the circulation and the seasonal variability of the North Aegean circulation show that dynamics of the basin can effectively absorb most of the Black Sea Water inflow variability. The overall cyclonic circulation of the North Aegean Sea and the predominant cyclonic and anti-cyclonic features are robust and are little affected by the different lateral fluxes. However, differences in the seasonality of the BSW inflow have an important impact in the North Aegean water column structure, while the synoptic variability observed in the Black Sea Water inflow affects the kinetic energy of the basin and the pathway of the Black Sea Water plume. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg