Articles | Volume 14, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-321-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-321-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
26 Apr 2018
Research article |
| 26 Apr 2018
High-resolution observations in the western Mediterranean Sea: the REP14-MED experiment
Reiner Onken
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Centre for Materials und Coastal Research (HZG), Max-Planck-Straße 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
Heinz-Volker Fiekas
Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Schiffe und Marinewaffen, Maritime Technologie und Forschung (WTD71), Berliner Straße 115, 24340 Eckernförde, Germany
Laurent Beguery
ALSEAMAR, 9 Europarc Sainte Victoire, 13590 Meyreuil, France
Ines Borrione
Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), Viale San Bartolomeo 400, 19126 La Spezia, Italy
Andreas Funk
Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Schiffe und Marinewaffen, Maritime Technologie und Forschung (WTD71), Berliner Straße 115, 24340 Eckernförde, Germany
Michael Hemming
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat, 4, Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
Jaime Hernandez-Lasheras
Sistema de Observación Costero de las Islas Balears (SOCIB), Parc Bit, Naorte, 07121 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Karen J. Heywood
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Jan Kaiser
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Michaela Knoll
Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Schiffe und Marinewaffen, Maritime Technologie und Forschung (WTD71), Berliner Straße 115, 24340 Eckernförde, Germany
Baptiste Mourre
Sistema de Observación Costero de las Islas Balears (SOCIB), Parc Bit, Naorte, 07121 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Paolo Oddo
Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), Viale San Bartolomeo 400, 19126 La Spezia, Italy
Pierre-Marie Poulain
Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS), Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/c, 34010 Sgonico, Trieste, Italy
Bastien Y. Queste
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Aniello Russo
Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), Viale San Bartolomeo 400, 19126 La Spezia, Italy
Kiminori Shitashima
Kyushu University, International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Martin Siderius
Portland State University (PSU), P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA
Elizabeth Thorp Küsel
Portland State University (PSU), P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA
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Hendrik Fuchs, Niklas Illmann, Amalia Muñoz, Mila Ródenas, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, M. Rami Alfarra, Cecilia Arsene, Iustinian G. Bejan, David M. Bell, Merete Bilde, Alexander Böhmländer, Mixtli Campos-Pineda, Mathieu Cazaunau, Patrice Coll, Véronique Daële, Claudia Di Biagio, Michael Flynn, Paola Formenti, Hartmut Herrmann, Kristina Höhler, Thorsten Hohaus, Matthew S. Johnson, Eija Juurola, Niku Kivekäs, Jan Kaiser, Christos Kaltsonoudis, Paolo Laj, Dario Massabò, Federico Mazzei, Gordon McFiggans, Max R. McGillen, Abdelwahid Mellouki, Peter Mettke, Ottmar Möhler, Falk Mothes, Dennis Niedermeier, Anna Novelli, Romeo I. Olariu, Spyros N. Pandis, Iulia Patroescu-Klotz, Rosa Maria Petracca Altieri, Paolo Prati, Claudiu Roman, Albert A. Ruth, Harald Saathoff, Silvio Schmalfuß, Frank Stratmann, Virginia Vernocchi, Aristeidis Voliotis, Jens Voigtländer, Annele Virtanen, Andreas Wahner, Robert Wagner, John Wenger, Sören Zorn, Peter Wiesen, and Jean-Francois Doussin
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Antarctica is a key region for carbon cycling and export. The efficiency of carbon export has been linked to the type of phytoplankton dominating the system. Our results suggest diatoms, haptophytes, and cryptophytes are present in all water column samples despite substantial physical differences between sampling locations. Our data shows a strong relationship between the proportion of diatoms, haptophytes, and cryptophytes relative to all other phytoplankton and the magnitude of carbon flux.
Manuel Vargas-Yáñez, Orens Pasqueron de Fommervault, Emanuela Clementi, Christian Ferrarin, Svitlana Liubertseva, Diego Álvarez-Berastegui, Baptiste Mourre, Salvatore Aronica, Rosa Balbin, Joaquín Ballabrera-Poy, Sana Ben Ismail, Nathaniel Benssousan, Ismail Bessa, Alicia Blanco, Anthony Bosse, Evi Bourma, François Bourrin, Carlo Brandini, Fulvio Capodici, Clara Casals-Baixas, Branko Cermelj, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Pascal Conan, Laurent Coppola, Lorenzo Corgnati, Joaquín del Río, Emilie Diamond Riquier, Lara Diaz-Barroso, Bartolomeo Doronzo, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Milad Fakhri, Costantine Frangoulis, Claudia Fratianni, Emilio García-Ladona, Jesus García-Lafuente, M. Carmen García-Martínez, Joaquín Garrabou, Josep Gasol, Adam Gauci, Frédéric Gazeau, Gerard Gregory, Abed El Raman Hassoun, Jordi Isern-Fontanet, Dominique Lefevre, Nadia Lo Bue, Guiomar López, Pablo Lorente, Deny Malengros, Ramon Massana, Sinan Mavruk, Stefano Miserocchi, Behzad Mostajir, Laure Mousseau, Francina Moya, Antonio Novellino, Arianna Orasi, Emanuele Organelli, Vicent Ouisse, Tal Ozer, Begoña Pérez-Gómez, Susana Pérez-Rubio, Leonidas Perivoliotis, Georges Petihakis, Anne Petrenko, Sebastien Pinel, Xavier Pitarch, Angela Pomaro, Lucía Quirós-Collazos, Emma Reyes, Simone Sammartino, Anna Sánchez-Vidal, Katrin Schroeder, Stefano Taddei, Elena Tel, Pierre Testor, Marco Torri, Daniela Turk, Laura Ursella, Dimitris Velaoras, Francesca Vidussi, Ivica Vilivić, Enrico Zambiachi, D. Nikolaos Zarokanellos, George Zodiatis, and Vanessa Cardin
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This work compiles current marine observation capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea, making this information accessible to scientists, organizations, stakeholders, and environmental policymakers. It supports initiatives such as Copernicus Marine Service, EMODNet, the European Ocean Pact, and EU directives. It is intended as a living resource to be updated, identifying strengths and gaps in Mediterranean observation systems.
Estel Font, Esther Portela, Sebastiaan Swart, Mauro Pinto-Juica, and Bastien Y. Queste
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Ocean Sci., 22, 31–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-31-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-31-2026, 2026
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We studied internal tides in the Gulf of Oman, where they had not been observed in detail before. Using seabed instruments, we found that these underwater waves travel far inshore, strengthen as the season shifts toward fall, and stay predictable for weeks. They may bring cooler, low-oxygen water to coastal areas, influencing marine ecosystems and reef health.
Maren Elisabeth Richter, Karen J. Heywood, Rob A. Hall, and Peter E. D. Davis
Ocean Sci., 21, 3341–3359, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3341-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3341-2025, 2025
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Warm ocean water causes rapid melting of Antarctic glaciers. The circulation and mixing of warm water in ice shelf cavities is mostly unknown. We observed ocean currents and mixing under Dotson Ice Shelf. Mixing is low, with patches of higher mixing associated with stronger currents and vertical current shear. The levels of turbulent mixing will lead to negligible heat loss during the path of the warm water to the grounding line, leaving plenty of heat available to melt the ice shelf there.
Sebastien Donnet, Helga S. Huntley, Maristella Berta, Luca Centurioni, Leo Middleton, Tamay Özgökmen, Pierre-Marie Poulain, Alex Kinsella, and Annalisa Griffa
Ocean Sci., 21, 3221–3240, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3221-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3221-2025, 2025
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Oceanographic and atmospheric data is used to study the properties and evolution of an eddy in the Balearic Sea. During the period of observation, this eddy elongates and splits. The unusually dense set of observations from satellites, drifters, and ship-mounted instruments provide insight into this splitting process. In particular, the contribution from the wind is assessed. These mechanisms are known to impact the vertical exchanges of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and pollutants.
Daisy D. Pickup, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Karen J. Heywood, Francis Glassup, Emily M. Hammermeister, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Gareth A. Lee, Socratis Loucaides, Bastien Y. Queste, Benjamin G. M. Webber, and Patricia L. Yager
Ocean Sci., 21, 2727–2741, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2727-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2727-2025, 2025
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Autonomous platforms in the Amundsen Sea have allowed for detection of isolated water masses that are colder, saltier and denser than overlying water. They are also associated with a higher dissolved inorganic carbon concentration and lower pH. The water masses, referred to as lenses, could have implications for the transfer of heat and storage of carbon in the region. We hypothesise that they form in surrounding areas that experience intense cooling and sea ice formation in autumn/winter.
Christian T. Wild, Tasha Snow, Tiago S. Dotto, Peter E. D. Davis, Scott Tyler, Ted A. Scambos, Erin C. Pettit, and Karen J. Heywood
Ocean Sci., 21, 2605–2629, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2605-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2605-2025, 2025
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Thwaites Glacier is retreating due to warm ocean water melting it from below, but its thick ice shelf makes this heat hard to monitor. Using hot-water drilling, we placed sensors beneath the floating ice, revealing how surface freezing in Pine Island Bay influences heat at depth. Alongside gradual warming, we found bursts of heat that could speed up melting at the grounding zone, which may become more common as sea ice declines.
Shenjie Zhou, Pierre Dutrieux, Claudia F. Giulivi, Adrian Jenkins, Alessandro Silvano, Christopher Auckland, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Michael Meredith, Irena Vaňková, Keith Nicholls, Peter E. D. Davis, Svein Østerhus, Arnold L. Gordon, Christopher J. Zappa, Tiago S. Dotto, Ted Scambos, Kathryn L. Gunn, Stephen R. Rintoul, Shigeru Aoki, Craig Stevens, Chengyan Liu, Sukyoung Yun, Tae-Wan Kim, Won Sang Lee, Markus Janout, Tore Hattermann, Julius Lauber, Elin Darelius, Anna Wåhlin, Leo Middleton, Pasquale Castagno, Giorgio Budillon, Karen J. Heywood, Jennifer Graham, Stephen Dye, Daisuke Hirano, and Una Kim Miller
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 5693–5706, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5693-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5693-2025, 2025
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We created the first standardised dataset of in-situ ocean measurements time series from around Antarctica collected since 1970s. This includes temperature, salinity, pressure, and currents recorded by instruments deployed in icy, challenging conditions. Our analysis highlights the dominance of tidal currents and separates these from other patterns to study regional energy distribution. This unique dataset offers a foundation for future research on Antarctic ocean dynamics and ice interactions.
Laura Gómez-Navarro, Maxime Ballarotta, Diego Cortés-Morales, Marie-Isabelle Pujol, Laura Fortunato, Baptiste Mourre, and Ananda Pascual
State Planet Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-2025-17, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-2025-17, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for SP
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Understanding how the ocean moves heat, nutrients, and pollution is vital for climate studies and ecosystem health. We examined eddies in the western Mediterranean Sea using innovative satellite observations from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission. Compared to existing data, we detected major differences in eddy patterns. These advances improve our ability to monitor the ocean, manage marine pollution, and support sustainable maritime activities.
Alexandre Heumann, Félix Margirier, Emmanuel Rinnert, Pascale Lherminier, Carla Scalabrin, Louis Géli, Orens Pasqueron de Fommervault, and Laurent Béguery
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 4535–4554, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4535-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4535-2025, 2025
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Following a seismic crisis in May 2018 in Mayotte, an observation network has been created with the given objective of monitoring the volcanic phenomena. A SeaExplorer glider has been deployed to supplement the data obtained during a series of oceanographic surveys. The glider performed a continuous monitoring over 30 months of the water column from the sea surface to 1250 m water depth, with the objective of acquiring the hydrological properties, water currents and dissolved gas concentrations.
Peter M. F. Sheehan, Benjamin G. M. Webber, Alejandra Sanchez-Franks, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 21, 1575–1588, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1575-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1575-2025, 2025
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Using measurements and computer models, we identify a large flux of oxygen within the Southwest Monsoon Current, which flows north into the Bay of Bengal between June and September each year. Oxygen levels in the bay are very low, but they are not quite low enough for key nutrient cycles to be as dramatically altered as in other low-oxygen regions. We suggest that the flux which we identify contributes to keeping oxygen levels in the bay above the threshold below which dramatic changes would occur.
Estel Font, Sebastiaan Swart, Puthenveettil Narayana Vinayachandran, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 21, 1349–1368, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1349-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1349-2025, 2025
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Mode water is formed annually and sits between the warm surface water and deeper older waters. In the Arabian Sea, it plays a crucial role in regulating ocean heat and oxygen variability by acting as a doorway between the surface and deeper waters. Using observations and models, we show that its formation is primarily driven by atmospheric forcing, though ocean currents, eddies, and biological heating also influence its life cycle. This water mass contributes up to 40 % of the region's oxygen content.
Meredith G. Meyer, Esther Portela, Walker O. Smith Jr., and Karen J. Heywood
Ocean Sci., 21, 1223–1236, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1223-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1223-2025, 2025
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During the annual phytoplankton bloom, rates of primary production and carbon export in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, are uncoupled from each other and from oxygen and carbon stocks. These biogeochemical rates support the high-productivity, low-export classification of the region and suggest that environmental factors influence these stocks and rates differently and make projections under future climate change scenarios difficult.
Blandine Jacob, Bastien Y. Queste, and Marcel D. du Plessis
Ocean Sci., 21, 359–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-359-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-359-2025, 2025
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Few observations exist in the Amundsen Sea. Consequently, studies rely on reanalysis (e.g., ERA5) to investigate how the atmosphere affects ocean variability (e.g., sea-ice formation and melt). We use data collected along ice shelves to show that cold, dry air blowing from Antarctica triggers large ocean heat loss, which is underestimated by ERA5. We then use an ocean model to show that this bias has an important impact on the ocean, with implications for sea-ice forecasts.
Charlotte A. J. Williams, Tom Hull, Jan Kaiser, Claire Mahaffey, Naomi Greenwood, Matthew Toberman, and Matthew R. Palmer
Biogeosciences, 21, 1961–1971, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1961-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1961-2024, 2024
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Oxygen (O2) is a key indicator of ocean health. The risk of O2 loss in the productive coastal/continental slope regions is increasing. Autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with O2 optodes provide lots of data but have problems resolving strong vertical O2 changes. Here we show how to overcome this and calculate how much O2 is supplied to the low-O2 bottom waters via mixing. Bursts in mixing supply nearly all of the O2 to bottom waters in autumn, stopping them reaching ecologically low levels.
Ria Oelerich, Karen J. Heywood, Gillian M. Damerell, Marcel du Plessis, Louise C. Biddle, and Sebastiaan Swart
Ocean Sci., 19, 1465–1482, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1465-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1465-2023, 2023
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At the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, relatively warm waters encounter the colder waters surrounding Antarctica. Observations from underwater vehicles and altimetry show that medium-sized cold-core eddies influence the southern boundary's barrier properties by strengthening the slopes of constant density lines across it and amplifying its associated jet. As a result, the ability of exchanging properties, such as heat, across the southern boundary is reduced.
Baptiste Mourre, Emma Reyes, Pablo Lorente, Alex Santana, Jaime Hernández-Lasheras, Ismael Hernández-Carrasco, Maximo García-Jove, and Nikolaos D. Zarokanellos
State Planet, 1-osr7, 15, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-1-osr7-15-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-1-osr7-15-2023, 2023
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We characterize the signature of an intense storm-induced coastal upwelling along the north-western coast of the Balearic Islands in 2021 using a high-resolution operational prediction model. The upwelling, with a duration of 3 d and a spatial offshore extension of 20 km, led to cross-shore surface temperature differences of up to 6 °C. It was the most intense event of the past 9 years in terms of the impact on temperature and the second-most intense event in terms of cross-shore transports.
Amelia M. H. Bond, Markus M. Frey, Jan Kaiser, Jörg Kleffmann, Anna E. Jones, and Freya A. Squires
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5533–5550, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5533-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5533-2023, 2023
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Atmospheric nitrous acid (HONO) amount fractions measured at Halley Research Station, Antarctica, were found to be low. Vertical fluxes of HONO from the snow were also measured and agree with the estimated HONO production rate from photolysis of snow nitrate. In a simple box model of HONO sources and sinks, there was good agreement between the measured flux and amount fraction. HONO was found to be an important OH radical source at Halley.
Pierre L'Hégaret, Florian Schütte, Sabrina Speich, Gilles Reverdin, Dariusz B. Baranowski, Rena Czeschel, Tim Fischer, Gregory R. Foltz, Karen J. Heywood, Gerd Krahmann, Rémi Laxenaire, Caroline Le Bihan, Philippe Le Bot, Stéphane Leizour, Callum Rollo, Michael Schlundt, Elizabeth Siddle, Corentin Subirade, Dongxiao Zhang, and Johannes Karstensen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1801–1830, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1801-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1801-2023, 2023
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In early 2020, the EUREC4A-OA/ATOMIC experiment took place in the northwestern Tropical Atlantic Ocean, a dynamical region where different water masses interact. Four oceanographic vessels and a fleet of autonomous devices were deployed to study the processes at play and sample the upper ocean, each with its own observing capability. The article first describes the data calibration and validation and second their cross-validation, using a hierarchy of instruments and estimating the uncertainty.
Peter M. F. Sheehan, Gillian M. Damerell, Philip J. Leadbitter, Karen J. Heywood, and Rob A. Hall
Ocean Sci., 19, 77–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-77-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-77-2023, 2023
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We calculate the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, i.e. the mixing driven by small-scale ocean turbulence, in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean via two methods. We find good agreement between the results of both. A region of elevated mixing is found between 200 and 500 m, and we calculate the associated heat and salt fluxes. We find that double-diffusive mixing in salt fingers, a common feature of the tropical oceans, drives larger heat and salt fluxes than the turbulent mixing.
Callum Rollo, Karen J. Heywood, and Rob A. Hall
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 359–373, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-359-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-359-2022, 2022
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Using an underwater buoyancy-powered autonomous glider, we collected profiles of temperature and salinity from the ocean north-east of Barbados. Most of the temperature and salinity profiles contained staircase-like structures of alternating constant values and large gradients. We wrote an algorithm to identify these staircases. We hypothesise that these staircases are prevented from forming where background gradients in temperature and salinity are too great.
Elise S. Droste, Mario Hoppema, Melchor González-Dávila, Juana Magdalena Santana-Casiano, Bastien Y. Queste, Giorgio Dall'Olmo, Hugh J. Venables, Gerd Rohardt, Sharyn Ossebaar, Daniel Schuller, Sunke Trace-Kleeberg, and Dorothee C. E. Bakker
Ocean Sci., 18, 1293–1320, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1293-2022, 2022
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Tides affect the marine carbonate chemistry of a coastal polynya neighbouring the Ekström Ice Shelf by movement of seawater with different physical and biogeochemical properties. The result is that the coastal polynya in the summer can switch between being a sink or a source of CO2 multiple times a day. We encourage consideration of tides when collecting in polar coastal regions to account for tide-driven variability and to avoid overestimations or underestimations of air–sea CO2 exchange.
Benjamin R. Loveday, Timothy Smyth, Anıl Akpinar, Tom Hull, Mark E. Inall, Jan Kaiser, Bastien Y. Queste, Matt Tobermann, Charlotte A. J. Williams, and Matthew R. Palmer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3997–4016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3997-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3997-2022, 2022
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Using a new approach to combine autonomous underwater glider data and satellite Earth observations, we have generated a 19-month time series of North Sea net primary productivity – the rate at which phytoplankton absorbs carbon dioxide minus that lost through respiration. This time series, which spans 13 gliders, allows for new investigations into small-scale, high-frequency variability in the biogeochemical processes that underpin the carbon cycle and coastal marine ecosystems in shelf seas.
Michael P. Hemming, Jan Kaiser, Jacqueline Boutin, Liliane Merlivat, Karen J. Heywood, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Gareth A. Lee, Marcos Cobas García, David Antoine, and Kiminori Shitashima
Ocean Sci., 18, 1245–1262, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1245-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1245-2022, 2022
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An underwater glider mission was carried out in spring 2016 near a mooring in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The glider deployment served as a test of a prototype ion-sensitive field-effect transistor pH sensor. Mean net community production rates were estimated from glider and buoy measurements of dissolved oxygen and inorganic carbon concentrations before and during the spring bloom. Incorporating advection is important for accurate mass budgets. Unexpected metabolic quotients were found.
Yixi Zheng, David P. Stevens, Karen J. Heywood, Benjamin G. M. Webber, and Bastien Y. Queste
The Cryosphere, 16, 3005–3019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3005-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3005-2022, 2022
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New observations reveal the Thwaites gyre in a habitually ice-covered region in the Amundsen Sea for the first time. This gyre rotates anticlockwise, despite the wind here favouring clockwise gyres like the Pine Island Bay gyre – the only other ocean gyre reported in the Amundsen Sea. We use an ocean model to suggest that sea ice alters the wind stress felt by the ocean and hence determines the gyre direction and strength. These processes may also be applied to other gyres in polar oceans.
Josué Bock, Jan Kaiser, Max Thomas, Andreas Bott, and Roland von Glasow
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 5807–5828, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5807-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5807-2022, 2022
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MISTRA-v9.0 is an atmospheric boundary layer chemistry model. The model includes a detailed particle description with regards to the microphysics, gas–particle interactions, and liquid phase chemistry within particles. Version 9.0 is the first release of MISTRA as an open-source community model. This paper presents a thorough description of the model characteristics and components. We show some examples of simulations reproducing previous studies with MISTRA with good consistency.
Yanxin Wang, Karen J. Heywood, David P. Stevens, and Gillian M. Damerell
Ocean Sci., 18, 839–855, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-839-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-839-2022, 2022
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It is important that climate models give accurate projections of future extremes in summer and winter sea surface temperature because these affect many features of the global climate system. Our results demonstrate that some models would give large errors if used for future projections of these features, and models with more detailed representation of vertical structure in the ocean tend to have a better representation of sea surface temperature, particularly in summer.
Pablo Lorente, Eva Aguiar, Michele Bendoni, Maristella Berta, Carlo Brandini, Alejandro Cáceres-Euse, Fulvio Capodici, Daniela Cianelli, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Lorenzo Corgnati, Vlado Dadić, Bartolomeo Doronzo, Aldo Drago, Dylan Dumas, Pierpaolo Falco, Maria Fattorini, Adam Gauci, Roberto Gómez, Annalisa Griffa, Charles-Antoine Guérin, Ismael Hernández-Carrasco, Jaime Hernández-Lasheras, Matjaž Ličer, Marcello G. Magaldi, Carlo Mantovani, Hrvoje Mihanović, Anne Molcard, Baptiste Mourre, Alejandro Orfila, Adèle Révelard, Emma Reyes, Jorge Sánchez, Simona Saviano, Roberta Sciascia, Stefano Taddei, Joaquín Tintoré, Yaron Toledo, Laura Ursella, Marco Uttieri, Ivica Vilibić, Enrico Zambianchi, and Vanessa Cardin
Ocean Sci., 18, 761–795, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-761-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-761-2022, 2022
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High-frequency radar (HFR) is a land-based remote sensing technology that can provide maps of the surface circulation over broad coastal areas, along with wave and wind information. The main goal of this work is to showcase the current status of the Mediterranean HFR network as well as present and future applications of this sensor for societal benefit such as search and rescue operations, safe vessel navigation, tracking of marine pollutants, and the monitoring of extreme events.
Emma Reyes, Eva Aguiar, Michele Bendoni, Maristella Berta, Carlo Brandini, Alejandro Cáceres-Euse, Fulvio Capodici, Vanessa Cardin, Daniela Cianelli, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Lorenzo Corgnati, Vlado Dadić, Bartolomeo Doronzo, Aldo Drago, Dylan Dumas, Pierpaolo Falco, Maria Fattorini, Maria J. Fernandes, Adam Gauci, Roberto Gómez, Annalisa Griffa, Charles-Antoine Guérin, Ismael Hernández-Carrasco, Jaime Hernández-Lasheras, Matjaž Ličer, Pablo Lorente, Marcello G. Magaldi, Carlo Mantovani, Hrvoje Mihanović, Anne Molcard, Baptiste Mourre, Adèle Révelard, Catalina Reyes-Suárez, Simona Saviano, Roberta Sciascia, Stefano Taddei, Joaquín Tintoré, Yaron Toledo, Marco Uttieri, Ivica Vilibić, Enrico Zambianchi, and Alejandro Orfila
Ocean Sci., 18, 797–837, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-797-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-797-2022, 2022
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This work reviews the existing advanced and emerging scientific and societal applications using HFR data, developed to address the major challenges identified in Mediterranean coastal waters organized around three main topics: maritime safety, extreme hazards and environmental transport processes. It also includes a discussion and preliminary assessment of the capabilities of existing HFR applications, finally providing a set of recommendations towards setting out future prospects.
Giusy Fedele, Elena Mauri, Giulio Notarstefano, and Pierre Marie Poulain
Ocean Sci., 18, 129–142, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-129-2022, 2022
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Atlantic Water (AW) and Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) are important water masses that play a crucial role in the internal variability of the Mediterranean thermohaline circulation. This work aims to characterize the inter-basin and inter-annual variability of AW and LIW in the Mediterranean Sea, taking advantage of the large observational dataset provided by Argo floats from 2001 to 2019. A clear salinification and warming trend characterizes AW and LIW over the last 2 decades.
Tom Hull, Naomi Greenwood, Antony Birchill, Alexander Beaton, Matthew Palmer, and Jan Kaiser
Biogeosciences, 18, 6167–6180, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6167-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6167-2021, 2021
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The shallow shelf seas play a large role in the global cycling of CO2 and also support large fisheries. We use an autonomous underwater vehicle in the central North Sea to measure the rates of change in oxygen and nutrients.
Using these data we determine the amount of carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere by the sea and measure how productive the region is.
These observations will be useful for improving our predictive models and help us predict and adapt to a changing ocean.
Reiner Onken and Burkard Baschek
Ocean Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/os-2021-86, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-2021-86, 2021
Preprint withdrawn
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The evolution of a small spiraliform ocean eddy is simulated with a numerical model. Its generation starts from a dense filament that is rolled into a vortex. Various quantities are organized in single-arm and multi-arm spirals. Oscillations of the vertical velocity are due to vortex Rossby waves. Virtual drifters and floats indicate downwelling everywhere near the surface, that is most intense in the center of the spiral, leading to a radial outflow and weak upwelling at the periphery.
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Short summary
In June 2014, high-resolution oceanographic data were collected in the
western Mediterranean Sea by two research vessels, 11 gliders, moored
instruments, drifters, and one profiling float. The objective
of this article is to provide an overview of the data set which
is utilised by various ongoing studies, focusing on (i) water masses and circulation, (ii) operational forecasting, (iii) data assimilation, (iv) variability of the ocean, and (v) new payloads
for gliders.
In June 2014, high-resolution oceanographic data were collected in the
western Mediterranean...
