Structure and variability of the abyssal water masses in the Ionian Sea in the period 2003‐2010

Bensi, Manuel; Rubino, Angelo; Cardín, Vanessa; Hainbucher, Dagmar; Mancero-Mosquera, Isaac

doi:10.1029/2012jc008178

Cited by 39 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…about 35 m depth) due to heat losses and wind stress. In the Ionian abyss the deep estuarine cell attached to the seabed below the CMOC is linked to the SAd dense waters overflowing the Otranto Strait and stratifying below the CMOC cell (Curchitser et al 2001;Bensi et al 2013a). Deep estuarine cells exist below the wind driven antiestuarine MOC cells of the mid-to-deep water depths of the global ocean as demonstrated by Vallis (2011) andDe Lavergne et al (2016).…”

Section: How Is the Intensity Of Central Mediterranean Moc Affected Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Adriatic dense waters outflow the Otranto Strait and spread into the abyssal Ionian Sea, generally occupying the layer below the salt waters coming from the Cretan Sea and the Levantine basin (Roussenov et al 2001;Curchitser et al 2001;Bensi et al 2013a). Figure 16 shows the seasonal potential density anomaly of the 200 m layer above the seabed in both EXP1 and EXP2 and their differences with a zoom on the Ionian Sea.…”

Section: How Do Rivers Influence the Otranto Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lower branch of the CMOC is connected with the outflowing of the Southern Adriatic dense waters (Artegiani et al 1997a;Orlić 2001-2002;Manca et al 2002;Lascaratos 2004, 2008;Wang et al 2007;Bensi et al 2013b) in the Ionian abyssal basin. Several authors discussed that, during the EMT, the Adriatic source of Ionian abyssal waters could have been replaced by the Cretan Sea deep waters (Roether et al 1996;Roussenov et al 2001;Curchitser et al 2001;Manca et al 2003;Rubino and Hainbucher 2007;Ursella et al 2011;Rubino et al 2012;Bensi et al 2013a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

River runoff influences on the Central Mediterranean overturning circulation

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: How Is the Intensity Of Central Mediterranean Moc Affected Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: How Do Rivers Influence the Otranto Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

River runoff influences on the Central Mediterranean overturning circulation

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…In the same years, signs of new EMDW of Adriatic origin were already evident in the western continental slope of the Ionian Sea, i.e. indicating that a major change occurred between 1999 and 2003 in the abyssal part of the Ionian basin, where AdDW returned gradually to become the principal contributor to the EMDW (Hainbucher et al, 2006;Manca et al, 2006;Rubino and Hainbucher, 2007;Bensi et al, 2013). In 2008 (Figs.…”

Section: Long-term Variability In the Eastern Mediterraneanmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However, bottom waters encountered in the deep layers of the Ionian basin were warmer and saltier between (Rubino and Hainbucher, 2007. This implies the existence of a delayed link between characteristics of the intermediate layer of the SA and abyssal waters of the Ionian Sea (Bensi et al, 2013). Experimental observations show that the Northern Ionian Gyre (NIG) reverses on an almost decadal scale (Gačić et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Thermohaline properties in the Eastern Mediterranean in the last three decades: is the basin returning to the pre-EMT situation?

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Temperature, salinity and oxygen data collected during April and June 2011 (M84/3 and P414 cruises respectively) are analysed to derive the oceanographic characteristics of the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) basin. These observed characteristics are compared with those from previous cruises over the period 1987-2011. As a result, the interannual and decadal variability of the EM thermohaline properties are discussed in the context of the evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) and of the general circulation of the basin. We found that the state of the EM is still far from the pre-EMT conditions, though the 2011 results possibly indicate a slow return to this status. In particular, a comparison between thermohaline property evolution deriving from interannual variability of the preconditioning and air-sea interaction (heat fluxes) in the South Adriatic and the Cretan Seas reveals aspects of the alternation of the two dense water sources (Adriatic and Aegean) during the last three decades, which have strong implications for the hydrographic characteristics of the intermediate and deep layers of the Ionian and Levantine basins.

show abstract

Effects of winter convection on the deep layer of the Southern Adriatic Sea in 2012

Bensi

Cardín

Rubino

et al. 2013

J. Geophys. Res. Oceans

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We analyze aspects concerning the thermohaline changes observed in the near‐bottom layer of the Southern Adriatic Pit (SAP), in the Eastern Mediterranean, after the arrival of abundant and exceptionally dense water (σθ > 30 kg m−3) produced in the shallow Northern Adriatic Sea during winter 2012. For this purpose, we use temperature (T), salinity (S), and current time series collected at the E2M3A deep‐ocean observatory of the Southern Adriatic, and Conductivity‐Temperature‐Depth data obtained both in the Southern and Middle Adriatic from freely drifting profiling floats. The dense water produced in the Northern Adriatic arrived in the central and deepest part of the SAP as a series of individual pulses starting on 10 March 2012; while, a stronger and prolonged signal that significantly modified the local deep water stratification arrived after 10 April 2012. As a consequence, T and S suddenly decreased (≈0.15°C and ≈0.015), thus interrupting positive T and S bottom trends observed during the previous 5 years and producing a density increase of ≈0.02 kg m−3. Such variability has been rarely observed in the area. We ascribe its occurrence to the concomitance of exceptionally harsh and long‐lasting Bora wind, scarce precipitation, and low river discharge over the Northern Adriatic during winter 2011/2012. Eventually, this newly formed AdDW reached the Strait of Otranto during July 2012. Its characteristics profoundly differed from those observed in the previous decade. Hence, a noticeable variability in structure and circulation of the abyssal layers of the Ionian basin is likely to occur in the near future.

show abstract

Structure and variability of the abyssal water masses in the Ionian Sea in the period 2003‐2010

Cited by 39 publications

References 38 publications

River runoff influences on the Central Mediterranean overturning circulation

River runoff influences on the Central Mediterranean overturning circulation

Thermohaline properties in the Eastern Mediterranean in the last three decades: is the basin returning to the pre-EMT situation?

Effects of winter convection on the deep layer of the Southern Adriatic Sea in 2012

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About