Dynamics of river plumes in the South Brazilian Bight and South Brazil

Research articleThe plumes from the rivers of the South Brazilian Bight (SBB) and South Brazil (SB) were studied using a realistic model configuration. River plume variability on continental shelves is driven by the input of river runoff into the shelf, by wind variability, and also by ambient currents and its seasonal variability, especially the Brazil Current, which are realistically modelled in this study. It is presented a simulation of 4 years using a nested configuration, which allows resolving the region around Florianópolis with very high resolution (∼150 m). The dispersion of river plumes was assessed not only with the hydrodynamical model results but also by using passive tracers whose dynamics was analyzed seasonally. Several dyes were released together with the river discharges. This approach allowed calculating the depths of the riverine freshwater, and the resulting regions affected by the plumes. Northward intrusions of waters from the southern region, under the potential influence of the distant La Plata river plume, were evaluated with a Lagrangian approach. The local river plumes are confined to the inner shelf, except south of 30°S where discharges from Lagoa dos Patos disperse over the shelf in the spring and summer. The Brazil Current flowing southward over the slope prevents the river plumes from interaction with oceanic mesoscale dynamics. The river plumes are, thus, mainly controlled by the wind forcing. The plumes from SBB are able to disperse until SB following the southward wind regime typical of the summer. And both the SB and La Plata river plumes are also able to reach SBB, forced by the northward wind typical of the winter season, until the latitude of 25.5°S. A low salinity belt (below 35) is present along the coastal region of SB and SBB year-round, supported by contributions from both the large and small rivers. The interaction between the different plumes influences the dispersion patterns, shielding the Florianṕolis coastal region from plumes of distant rivers, and dispersing the plume of SBB rivers away from Santa Catarina Island as it disperses southward during the summer months.Versión del edito

iFADO project: contribution to the determination of the Good Environmental Status in the Atlantic Area through modeling and in situ monitoring approaches

The project iFADO ( innovation in the Framework of the Atlantic Deep Ocean ) aims to combine conventional monitoring programs (with special focus on novel semi-automatic techniques that can be applied for in situ biological monitoring) with emerging technologies (such as gliders, satellite imagery, etc.) and modeling approaches to assist the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), providing tools for the optimization of observing strategies for better evaluation and forecasting of the Good Environmental Status (GES). Within this framework, the multidisciplinary iFADO cruise (within the RADPROF time series program, Instituto Español de Oceanografía) was carried out with transnational collaboration on summer 2020 along a standard coastal-oceanic transect off NW Iberian Peninsula, including physical, biogeochemical and biological measurements. Additionally, an effort is being made in the implementation and validation of existing and new biogeochemical models in the Atlantic margin, focusing on key variables for the implementation of MSFD Descriptors. The combination of iFADO models and in situ monitoring approaches not only might contribute data and potential indicators for MSFD Descriptors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10, from coastal to open-ocean environments, but they are essential tools to detect, model and predict temporal changes in marine ecosystems in the study area

OOF: a Python engine for automating regional and coastal ocean forecasts

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Efficient tools for marine operational forecast and oil spill tracking

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Walking on the sea side: Modeling and observational efforts of the Iberian Margin Observatory (RAIA)

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