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Abstract Wave Energy Flux (WEF) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea is assessed using a 60 years wave reanalysis from 1958 to 2017. Significant wave height (Hs) and mean wave energy period (Tm_1,0) are validated against in situ buoy data from... more
Abstract Wave Energy Flux (WEF) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea is assessed using a 60 years wave reanalysis from 1958 to 2017. Significant wave height (Hs) and mean wave energy period (Tm_1,0) are validated against in situ buoy data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and from the Direccion General Maritima in the Central Caribbean Sea and in front of the Colombian shelf. WEF is calculated at virtual buoys allocated in the central Caribbean, at the continental shelf and around insular territories revealing a long-term decrease in magnitude with an annual rate between 0.01 and 0.2% with different regional behavior. In addition, WEF variations at interannual scale are found to be associated with ENSO phases. Wave energy power decreased from 1989 to 2017 in all analyzed locations.
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Shoreline position is a key parameter of a beach state, often used as a descriptor of the response of the system to changes in external forcing, such as sea-level rise. Changes in shoreline position are the result of coupled hydrodynamic... more
Shoreline position is a key parameter of a beach state, often used as a descriptor of the response of the system to changes in external forcing, such as sea-level rise. Changes in shoreline position are the result of coupled hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes happening in the nearshore and acting at different temporal scales. Due to this complexity, methodologies aimed at reproducing shoreline evolution at decadal time scale require many simplifications. Simpler methods usually consider an equilibrium beach profile whose shape depends only on beach morphology, and whose location varies depending on incoming forcing. Here, we derive a general equation for shoreline evolution using equilibrium beach profiles. We particularize it based on several common assumptions, and evaluate changes on shoreline position caused by sea-level rise, combined with simultaneous wave and high-frequency sea-level forcing. We compare our model against other analytical equilibrium beach profile-based ...
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Systematic and sustained high quality measurements of nearshore waves and beach morphology are crucial to understand morphodynamic processes that determine beach evolution, to unravel the effects of global warming on sandy coasts and thus... more
Systematic and sustained high quality measurements of nearshore waves and beach morphology are crucial to understand morphodynamic processes that determine beach evolution, to unravel the effects of global warming on sandy coasts and thus improve forecasting models. In 2011 a comprehensive beach monitoring program, the first in the Mediterranean Sea, started at Cala Millor Beach on the island of Mallorca (Spain). The aim was to provide long-term datasets of near-shore morphodynamics in a carbonate sandy micro-tidal and semi-embayed beach fronted by a Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow. We present our morphological and hydrodynamical dataset of Cala Millor covering more than a decade. The dataset includes topobathymetries, shoreline positions obtained from video cameras, meteorological parameters from a weather station, currents, as well as waves and sea level from ADCP measurements and sediment size. This free and unrestricted archived dataset can be used to support the modelling of...
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The Tumaco multivariate index (TMI) is a multidecadal monthly index constructed with unique time series of sea surface temperature, surface air temperature and rain measured at Tumaco bay, in the southern Pacific coast of Colombia, and... more
The Tumaco multivariate index (TMI) is a multidecadal monthly index constructed with unique time series of sea surface temperature, surface air temperature and rain measured at Tumaco bay, in the southern Pacific coast of Colombia, and available since 1961. In this work, this index is re‐evaluated after the addition of in situ sea level data, and its properties for different standardization periods are compared against oceanic El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other derived indices. In particular, we propose a modified TMI, hereinafter referred as TMI4, whose potential to identify the expected sign and the amount of future variations of rain induced by ENSO events in Colombia is analysed for selected extreme episodes. Results indicate that after the inclusion of sea level data, TMI4 can anticipate the development of El Niño events before the ENSO 3 and some other sea surface temperature‐based regional indices, although its predictability depends on the ENSO type (canonical or ...
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<p>Medicanes, for Mediterranean hurricanes, are mesoscale cyclones with morphological and physical characteristics similar to tropical cyclones. Although less intense, smaller and rarer than their Atlantic counterparts, Medicanes... more
<p>Medicanes, for Mediterranean hurricanes, are mesoscale cyclones with morphological and physical characteristics similar to tropical cyclones. Although less intense, smaller and rarer than their Atlantic counterparts, Medicanes remain very hazardous events threatening islands and continental coasts within the Mediterranean Sea. The latest strong episode Medicane Ianos (September 2020), resulted in severe damages in Greece and several casualties. This work investigates the oceanic response to these extreme events along the Mediterranean coasts under present-day and future (21 st century) conditions. To this end, a coupled hydrodynamic-wave model is used to simulate both storm surges and wind-waves generation and propagation in the Mediterranean Sea at high resolution (~2 km) along the coastlines. A dataset of thousands of Medicanes synthetically generated from twenty global climate models and two reanalyses is used to derive the atmospheric forcing fields. Regional coastal risks assessment is performed for the present and future climate. We found increased coastal extreme sea levels in line to the reported changes in Medicane activity, with fewer events but of larger intensity projected by late 21 st century.</p>
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Trabajo presentado en la American Geophysical Union Meetings, celebrada en San Francisco (United States), del 12 al 16 de diciembre de 2016
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A novel approach for estimating wave energy dissipation on a coral reef barrier is studied using X‐Band radar technology. The prominent features of coral reefs, including the delineation of reef morphological structure, wave energy... more
A novel approach for estimating wave energy dissipation on a coral reef barrier is studied using X‐Band radar technology. The prominent features of coral reefs, including the delineation of reef morphological structure, wave energy dissipation and wave transformation processes are obtained in a reef lagoon in San Andres Island, Colombia. Results show that reef attenuates incident waves by approximately 75% due to both frictional processes and wave breaking, with an equivalent bottom roughness of 0.20 m and a wave friction factor of 0.18. These parameters are comparable with estimates reported in other shallow coral reef lagoons as well as at seagrass meadows obtained using in‐situ measurements. Also, the mean height of the reef elements Hbed and its standard deviation σb are also estimated in the entire radar coverage area. Hbed and σb (0.5 and 7.66 cm respectively) are in the same order of magnitude of measured data reported by previous studies and in good agreement with the geomet...
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Abstract Wave Energy Flux (WEF) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea is assessed using a 60 years wave reanalysis from 1958 to 2017. Significant wave height (Hs) and mean wave energy period (Tm_1,0) are validated against in situ buoy data from... more
Abstract Wave Energy Flux (WEF) in the Colombian Caribbean Sea is assessed using a 60 years wave reanalysis from 1958 to 2017. Significant wave height (Hs) and mean wave energy period (Tm_1,0) are validated against in situ buoy data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and from the Direccion General Maritima in the Central Caribbean Sea and in front of the Colombian shelf. WEF is calculated at virtual buoys allocated in the central Caribbean, at the continental shelf and around insular territories revealing a long-term decrease in magnitude with an annual rate between 0.01 and 0.2% with different regional behavior. In addition, WEF variations at interannual scale are found to be associated with ENSO phases. Wave energy power decreased from 1989 to 2017 in all analyzed locations.
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Research Interests: Applied Mathematics, Physics, Mechanics, Energy Conservation, Turbulent boundary layer, and 13 moreClassical Physics, Key words, Shear Stress, WKB approximation, Wave propagation, Linear theory, Bottom Boundary Layer, Boundary Layer, Differential equation, Boundary Condition, Wave Motion, Boundary Layer Control, and Energy Loss
New monitoring technologies are being progressively implemented in open-ocean and coastal observatories. The Mediterranean Sea is a well-known, reduced-scale ocean, an ideal natural laboratory to study global ocean processes, in... more
New monitoring technologies are being progressively implemented in open-ocean and coastal observatories. The Mediterranean Sea is a well-known, reduced-scale ocean, an ideal natural laboratory to study global ocean processes, in particular those associated with meso- and submesoscale variability, interactions with mean flows and associated ecosystem response. SOCIB, the Balearic Islands Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System, is one of such observatories, a multiplatform distributed and integrated system, a facility of facilities that extends from the nearshore to the open sea. SOCIB profits from the strategic position of the Balearic Islands at the Atlantic/Mediterranean transition area, one of the “hot spots” of biodiversity in the world’s oceans, and also of societal needs in islands where preservation of the environment is essential to assure both residents’ welfare and the competitiveness of the tourist sector. SOCIB is unique in that, from peer-reviewed excellence, its...
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Quantifying uncertainties in real-time operational oil spill forecasts remains an outstanding problem, but one that should be solvable with present science and technology. Uncertainties arise from the salient characteristics of oil spill... more
Quantifying uncertainties in real-time operational oil spill forecasts remains an outstanding problem, but one that should be solvable with present science and technology. Uncertainties arise from the salient characteristics of oil spill models, hydrodynamic models, and wind forecast systems, which are affected by choices of modeling parameters. Presented and discussed are: (1) a systems-level approach for producing a range of oil spill forecasts, (2) a methodology for integrating probability estimates within oil spill models, and (3) a multi-model system for updating forecasts. These technologies provide the next steps for the efficient operational modeling required for real-time mitigation and crisis management for oil spills at sea. 1 Ben R. Hodges Dept. of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin. email: hodges@utexas.edu A. Orfila Marine Technology and Operational Oceanography Dept. Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB...
The knowledge of Lagrangian motion is of a great importance due to their impact on the properties of transported material like the Essential Ocean Variables (phytoplankton, temperature, pCO2, etc), or other material like plastics debris,... more
The knowledge of Lagrangian motion is of a great importance due to their impact on the properties of transported material like the Essential Ocean Variables (phytoplankton, temperature, pCO2, etc), or other material like plastics debris, oil spill pollution, etc. In this study we analyze the influence of the wind and waves in the transport and mixing properties at the upper layers of the Mediterranean Sea. In this context, we propose a new approach for current velocity where we take into account the wind-wave interaction and the variability that it inserts into the current velocity through Ekman and Stokes components.
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The Balearic Islands coast contains 867 beach systems covering 10% of the coast reflecting the different controls of waves, sediments, geological inheritance and human disturbance. The average length of theses beaches are 169 m, raging... more
The Balearic Islands coast contains 867 beach systems covering 10% of the coast reflecting the different controls of waves, sediments, geological inheritance and human disturbance. The average length of theses beaches are 169 m, raging from 10 m to more than 5 km, which implies that physical boundaries play a major role in beach length and morphology and wave attenuation; a moderate and seasonal wave climate and sediments composed predominantly of medium to coarse marine biogenic carbonate sands. It also describes the regional distribution, together with the occurrence of wave energy, beach sediments, bar systems and dynamics, rip currents, human disturbance and the influence of geological inheritance and marine biota.
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Surface currents in the Alboran Sea are characterized by a very fast evolution that is not well captured by altimetric maps due to sampling limitations. On the contrary, satellite infrared measurements provide high resolution synoptic... more
Surface currents in the Alboran Sea are characterized by a very fast evolution that is not well captured by altimetric maps due to sampling limitations. On the contrary, satellite infrared measurements provide high resolution synoptic images of the ocean at high temporal rate, allowing to capture the evolution of the flow. The capability of Surface Quasi-Geostrophic (SQG) dynamics to retrieve surface currents from thermal images was evaluated by comparing resulting velocities with in situ observations provided by surface drifters. A difficulty encountered comes from the lack of information about ocean salinity. We propose to exploit the strong relationship between salinity and temperature to identify water masses with distinctive salinity in satellite images and use this information to correct buoyancy. Once corrected, our results show that the SQG approach can retrieve ocean currents slightly better to that of near-real-time currents derived from altimetry in general, but much bett...
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Se presenta la descripción de un modelo de fase que resuelve las ecuaciones de propagación del oleaje mediante la aproximación de la pendiente suave (“Mild Slope”). El modelo, desarrollado en el marco del proyecto del modelo Litodinámico... more
Se presenta la descripción de un modelo de fase que resuelve las ecuaciones de propagación del oleaje mediante la aproximación de la pendiente suave (“Mild Slope”). El modelo, desarrollado en el marco del proyecto del modelo Litodinámico de la Zona Costera (LIZC), realiza un tratamiento de los datos que permite la transformación de un oleaje completamente lineal (sin transporte de sedimentos) en un oleaje no lineal, permitiendo así la modelación del transporte de sedimentos en la zona más somera. En la simulación se utilizan todos los posibles estados de mar de una determinada época, teniendo en cuenta no solo la influencia del oleaje sobre el fondo, sino también el efecto del fondo sobre el oleaje; permitiendo así obtener la evolución de la batimetría para la época en estudio.
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Energy conversion routes are investigated in the western Mediterranean Sea from the eddy–mean flow interactions. The sources of eddy kinetic energy are analyzed by applying a regional formulation of the Lorenz energy cycle to 18 years of... more
Energy conversion routes are investigated in the western Mediterranean Sea from the eddy–mean flow interactions. The sources of eddy kinetic energy are analyzed by applying a regional formulation of the Lorenz energy cycle to 18 years of numerical simulation at eddy-resolving resolution (3.5 km), which allows for identifying whether the energy exchange between the mean and eddy flow is local or nonlocal. The patterns of energy conversion between the mean and eddy kinetic and potential energy are estimated in three subregions of the domain: the Alboran Sea, the Algerian Basin, and the northern basin. The spatial characterization of the energy routes hints at the physical mechanisms involved in maintaining the balance, suggesting that flow–topography interaction is strongly linked to eddy growth in most of the domain.
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A fully nonlinear Boussinessq-type model with 7 Nwogu’s α-like coefficients is considered. The model is one-layer and low-order to simplify the numerical solvability. The coefficients of the model are here considered functions of the... more
A fully nonlinear Boussinessq-type model with 7 Nwogu’s α-like coefficients is considered. The model is one-layer and low-order to simplify the numerical solvability. The coefficients of the model are here considered functions of the local water depth so as to allow an improvement of the dispersive properties for narrow banded trains in very deep waters. The proposed model is fully nonlinear in weakly dispersive conditions, so that nonlinear wave decomposition in shallower waters is well reproduced.
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We study the horizontal surface mixing and the transport induced by waves, using local Lyapunov exponents and high resolution data from numerical simulations of waves and currents. By choosing the proper spatial (temporal) parameters we... more
We study the horizontal surface mixing and the transport induced by waves, using local Lyapunov exponents and high resolution data from numerical simulations of waves and currents. By choosing the proper spatial (temporal) parameters we compute the Finite Size and Finite Time Lyapunov exponents (FSLE and FTLE) focussing on the local stirring and diffusion inferred from the Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS). The methodology is tested by deploying a set of eight lagrangian drifters and studying the path followed against LCS derived under current field and waves and currents.
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New monitoring technologies are key components of ocean observatories, also called marine research infrastructures being implemented in the worlds oceans. As a result, new capabilities to characterise, in quasi-real time, the ocean state... more
New monitoring technologies are key components of ocean observatories, also called marine research infrastructures being implemented in the worlds oceans. As a result, new capabilities to characterise, in quasi-real time, the ocean state and its variability at small scales exist today. The challenge is the integration of theses multiplatform observing and forecasting systems to (a) monitor the variability at small scales (e.g. mesoscale/weeks) in order to (b) resolve the sub-basin/seasonal and inter-annual variability and by this (c) establish the decadal variability, understand the associated biases and correct them. The challenge is also to change focus and now monitor from small to large scales. SOCIB is leading this new small to large-scale multi-platform approach in ocean observation. Some examples are presented and discussed together with initial ideas on the optimal design of an observational network in the world oceans, responding to science priorities, technology development and response to strategic society needs.