Publication Date:
2022-10-26
Description:
© The Authors, 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Pascual, A., Ruiz, S., Olita, A., Troupin, C., Claret, M., Casas, B., Mourre, B., Poulain, P. M., Tovar-Sanchez, A., Capet, A., Mason, E., Allen, J. T., Mahadevan, A., & Tintore, J. A multiplatform experiment to unravel meso- and submesoscale processes in an intense front (AlborEx). Frontiers in Marine Science, 4(39), (2017), doi:10.3389/fmars.2017.00039.
Description:
The challenges associated with meso- and submesoscale variability (between 1 and 100 km) require high-resolution observations and integrated approaches. Here we describe a major oceanographic experiment designed to capture the intense but transient vertical motions in an area characterized by strong fronts. Finescale processes were studied in the eastern Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) about 400 km east of the Strait of Gibraltar, a relatively sparsely sampled area. In-situ systems were coordinated with satellite data and numerical simulations to provide a full description of the physical and biogeochemical variability. Hydrographic data confirmed the presence of an intense salinity front formed by the confluence of Atlantic Waters, entering from Gibraltar, with the local Mediterranean waters. The drifters coherently followed the northeastern limb of an anticyclonic gyre. Near real time data from acoustic current meter data profiler showed consistent patterns with currents of up to 1 m/s in the southern part of the sampled domain. High-resolution glider data revealed submesoscale structures with tongues of chlorophyll-a and oxygen associated with the frontal zone. Numerical results show large vertical excursions of tracers that could explain the subducted tongues and filaments captured by ocean gliders. A unique aspect of AlborEx is the combination of high-resolution synoptic measurements of vessel-based measurements, autonomous sampling, remote sensing and modeling, enabling the evaluation of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the observed distributions and biogeochemical patchiness. The main findings point to the importance of fine-scale processes enhancing the vertical exchanges between the upper ocean and the ocean interior.
Description:
The AlborEx experiment was conducted in the framework of PERSEUS EU-funded project (Grant agreement no: 287600). The experiment was led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) institution with strong involvement and cooperation from other national and international partners: Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB, Spain); Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, Italy), McGill University (Canada); Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italy) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, USA). Glider operations were partially funded by JERICO FP7 project. AP acknowledges support from the Spanish National Research Program (E-MOTION/CTM2012-31014 and PRE-SWOT/CTM2016-78607-P). SR and AP are also supported by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) MedSUB project. EM is supported by a post-doctoral grant from the Conselleria d'Educació, Cultura i Universitats del Govern de les Illes Balears (Mallorca, Spain) and the European Social Fund. AC is a FNRS researcher under the FNRS BENTHOX project (Convention T.1009.15). The altimeter products were produced by Ssalto/Duacs and distributed by CMEMS. The profiling floats and some drifters were contributed by the Argo-Italy program. The authors are in debt with A. Massanet, F. Margirier, M. Palmer, C. Castilla, P. Balaguer and for their efficient work and implication during the AlborEx cruise. We also thank M. Menna, G. Notarstefano and A. Bussani for their help with the drifter and float data processing and the production of some figures. This article was initiated during a research visit of the first two authors to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Keywords:
Mesoscale
;
Submesoscale
;
Ocean front
;
Western Mediterranean
;
Integrated multidisciplinary ocean observations
;
Multiplatform
;
Numerical simulations
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Article
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