Drifter observations and satellite-derived sea surface height data are used to quantitatively stu... more Drifter observations and satellite-derived sea surface height data are used to quantitatively study the surface geostrophic circulation of the entire Mediterranean Sea for the period spanning 1992–2010. After removal of the wind-driven components from the drifter velocities and low-pass filtering in bins of 1° × 1° × 1 week, maps of surface geostrophic circulation (mean flow and kinetic energy levels) are produced using the drifter and/or satellite data. The mean currents and kinetic energy levels derived from the drifter data appear stronger/higher with respect to those obtained from satellite altimeter data. The maps of mean circulation estimated from the drifter data and from a combination of drifter and altimeter data are, however, qualitatively similar. In the western basin they show the main pathways of the surface waters flowing eastward from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Sicily Channel and the current transporting waters back westward along the Italian, French, and Spanish ...
ABSTRACT The vorticity balance in the upper layer of the Black Sea is analyzed using several data... more ABSTRACT The vorticity balance in the upper layer of the Black Sea is analyzed using several data sources (drifter data, Argo float CTD profiles, satellite sea level anomalies and ocean surface wind velocities) in order to estimate the respective contribution of each term in the vorticity equation. The tube stretching term induces positive vorticity in all the regions of the Black Sea and seems to play an important role in the vorticity balance of the basin. 1 1 1 1 1 Vorticity is an important descriptive feature of ocean dynamics, whose variations are related to the balance of external forcing, associated with wind-stress, and internal processes. Internal processes produce vorticity variations through adjustment of internal pressure gradients (i.e. baroclinic adjustment) and/or through variations in the depth of the tube flow (tube stretching). The Black Sea is a typical marginal, semi-enclosed, dilution basin characterized by a stable stratification, a simple basin geometry and a smooth bottom topography; therefore, it is the ideal location to study the relative contribution of the different terms to the vorticity balance in the ocean and to analyze fundamental hydrodynamic interactions common to different areas of the World Ocean.
ABSTRACT The main characteristic of the circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine Basin ... more ABSTRACT The main characteristic of the circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine Basin is a general cyclonic flow following more or less the coastline, with several persistent eddies in the open sea. The interaction between all of these dynamical features produces a complicated flow pattern with strong spatial variability on a synoptic, seasonal and inter-annual scales. The continuous seasonal/annual hydrographic survey of the SE Levantine since 1995 within the frame of the Cyprus Basin Oceanography program (CYBO) and the Haifa-section cruises, along with data from project surveys (CYCLOPS, MSM/14) and recent data from autonomous platforms, such as those from Argos floats, drifters and gliders (NEMED, YPOKINOUMODA, GROOM projects) have all provided insight on the three dominating flow features in the SE Levantine Basin. Namely, the two warm core eddies, i.e. the Cyprus and Shikmona, and the open sea flow jet, that of the Mid Mediterranean. After some years of disputes, it is well-documented with all these in-situ data that the Cyprus warm core eddy is the most influential flow feature in the area, with significant fluctuations in time and space, while the generation of the Shikmona eddy was observed for the first time. Moreover, the cross basin flow of the MMJ is also well-document, confirming the relevant POEM results, to transfer also significant amount of AW further to the most-eastern part of the Levantine, after passing between Cyprus and along the northern periphery of the Cyprus warm core eddy.
Drifter observations and satellite-derived sea surface height data are used to quantitatively stu... more Drifter observations and satellite-derived sea surface height data are used to quantitatively study the surface geostrophic circulation of the entire Mediterranean Sea for the period spanning 1992–2010. After removal of the wind-driven components from the drifter velocities and low-pass filtering in bins of 1° × 1° × 1 week, maps of surface geostrophic circulation (mean flow and kinetic energy levels) are produced using the drifter and/or satellite data. The mean currents and kinetic energy levels derived from the drifter data appear stronger/higher with respect to those obtained from satellite altimeter data. The maps of mean circulation estimated from the drifter data and from a combination of drifter and altimeter data are, however, qualitatively similar. In the western basin they show the main pathways of the surface waters flowing eastward from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Sicily Channel and the current transporting waters back westward along the Italian, French, and Spanish ...
ABSTRACT The vorticity balance in the upper layer of the Black Sea is analyzed using several data... more ABSTRACT The vorticity balance in the upper layer of the Black Sea is analyzed using several data sources (drifter data, Argo float CTD profiles, satellite sea level anomalies and ocean surface wind velocities) in order to estimate the respective contribution of each term in the vorticity equation. The tube stretching term induces positive vorticity in all the regions of the Black Sea and seems to play an important role in the vorticity balance of the basin. 1 1 1 1 1 Vorticity is an important descriptive feature of ocean dynamics, whose variations are related to the balance of external forcing, associated with wind-stress, and internal processes. Internal processes produce vorticity variations through adjustment of internal pressure gradients (i.e. baroclinic adjustment) and/or through variations in the depth of the tube flow (tube stretching). The Black Sea is a typical marginal, semi-enclosed, dilution basin characterized by a stable stratification, a simple basin geometry and a smooth bottom topography; therefore, it is the ideal location to study the relative contribution of the different terms to the vorticity balance in the ocean and to analyze fundamental hydrodynamic interactions common to different areas of the World Ocean.
ABSTRACT The main characteristic of the circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine Basin ... more ABSTRACT The main characteristic of the circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine Basin is a general cyclonic flow following more or less the coastline, with several persistent eddies in the open sea. The interaction between all of these dynamical features produces a complicated flow pattern with strong spatial variability on a synoptic, seasonal and inter-annual scales. The continuous seasonal/annual hydrographic survey of the SE Levantine since 1995 within the frame of the Cyprus Basin Oceanography program (CYBO) and the Haifa-section cruises, along with data from project surveys (CYCLOPS, MSM/14) and recent data from autonomous platforms, such as those from Argos floats, drifters and gliders (NEMED, YPOKINOUMODA, GROOM projects) have all provided insight on the three dominating flow features in the SE Levantine Basin. Namely, the two warm core eddies, i.e. the Cyprus and Shikmona, and the open sea flow jet, that of the Mid Mediterranean. After some years of disputes, it is well-documented with all these in-situ data that the Cyprus warm core eddy is the most influential flow feature in the area, with significant fluctuations in time and space, while the generation of the Shikmona eddy was observed for the first time. Moreover, the cross basin flow of the MMJ is also well-document, confirming the relevant POEM results, to transfer also significant amount of AW further to the most-eastern part of the Levantine, after passing between Cyprus and along the northern periphery of the Cyprus warm core eddy.
Uploads
Papers by Milena Menna