The Mediterranean Sea

Surface, intermediate, and deep-water processes and their interaction in time and space drive the major ocean circulation of the Mediterranean Sea. All major forcing mechanisms, such as surface wind forcing, buoyancy fluxes, lateral mass exchange, and deep convection determining the global oceanic circulation are present in this body of water. Deep and intermediate water masses are formed in different areas of the ocean layers and they drive the Mediterranean thermohaline cell, which further shows important analogies with the global ocean conveyor belt. The Mediterranean Sea: Temporal Variability and Spatial Patterns is a comprehensive volume that investigates the temporal and spatial variability patterns in the ocean basin. Volume highlights include: Discussions of state-of-the-art physical and biogeochemical properties of the Mediterranean Sea Multiple physical ocean circulation processes, both in time and spatial scales (basin, sub-basin, and mesoscale) How different regional phenomena in the sea influence the biogeochemistry of the basin and the ocean dynamics Spatio-temporal variability of the surface circulation in the western Mediterranean Deep-water variability and inter-basin interactions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea Understanding the link between global ocean circulation patterns and the global climate The Mediterranean Sea will be a valuable resource for geoscientists, oceanographers, and meteorologists.

Surface, intermediate, and deep-water processes and their interaction in time and space drive the major ocean circulation of the Mediterranean Sea. All major forcing mechanisms, such as surface wind forcing, buoyancy fluxes, lateral mass exchange, and deep convection determining the global oceanic circulation are present in this body of water. Deep and intermediate water masses are formed in different areas of the ocean layers and they drive the Mediterranean thermohaline cell, which further shows important analogies with the global ocean conveyor belt. The Mediterranean Sea: Temporal Variability and Spatial Patterns is a comprehensive volume that investigates the temporal and spatial variability patterns in the ocean basin.Volume highlights include:* Discussions of state-of-the-art physical and biogeochemical properties of the Mediterranean Sea* Multiple physical ocean circulation processes, both in time and spatial scales (basin, sub-basin, and mesoscale)* How different regional phenomena in the sea influence the biogeochemistry of the basin and the ocean dynamics* Spatio-temporal variability of the surface circulation in the western Mediterranean* Deep-water variability and inter-basin interactions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea* Understanding the link between global ocean circulation patterns and the global climateThe Mediterranean Sea will be a valuable resource for geoscientists, oceanographers, and meteorologists.

Contributors ixPreface xi1 Introduction to The Mediterranean Sea: Temporal Variabilityand Spatial PatternsGian Luca Eusebi Borzelli, Paola Malanotte-Rizzoli, MiroslavGacic, and Piero Lionello 12 Spatiotemporal Variability of the Surface Circulation inthe Western Mediterranean: A Comparative Study Using Altimetry andModelingAnanda Pascual, Enrique Vidal-Vijande, Simón Ruiz, SamuelSomot, and Vassilis Papadopoulos 53 Exchange Flow through the Strait of Gibraltar as Simulatedby a sigma-Coordinate Hydrostatic Model and a z-CoordinateNonhydrostatic ModelGianmaria Sannino, J. C. Sánchez Garrido, L. Liberti, andL. Pratt 254 Mixing in the Deep Waters of the WesternMediterraneanHarry Bryden, Katrin Schroeder, Mireno Borghini, Anna Vetranoand Stefania Sparnocchia 515 The 2009 Surface and Intermediate Circulation of theTyrrhenian Sea as Assessed by an Operational ModelE. Napolitano, R. Iacono, and S. Marullo 596 The Eastern Mediterranean Transient: Evidence for SimilarEvents Previously?Wolfgang Roether, Birgit Klein, and Dagmar Hainbucher 757 Deep-Water Variability and Interbasin Interactions in theEastern Mediterranean SeaEmin Özsoy, Sarantis Sofianos, Isaac Gertman, AnnetaMantziafou, Ali Aydogdu, Sotiria GeorgiouErsin Tutsak, Alex Lascaratos, Artur Hecht, and Mohammed AbdulLatif 858 An Internal Mechanism Driving the Alternation of theEastern Mediterranean Dense/Deep Water SourcesAlexander Theocharis, George Krokos, Dimitris Velaoras, andGerasimos Korres 1139 Thermohaline Variability and Mesoscale Dynamics Observed atthe Deep-Ocean Observatory E2M3A in the Southern AdriaticSeaManuel Bensi, Vanessa Cardin, and Angelo Rubino 139Index 157Color plate section is located between pages 84 and85.