Articles | Volume 19, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1617-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1617-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Nov 2023
Research article |
| 24 Nov 2023
| 24 Nov 2023
Relative dispersion and kinematic properties of the coastal submesoscale circulation in the southeastern Ligurian Sea
Pierre-Marie Poulain
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), La Spezia, 19126, Italy
Luca Centurioni
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, 92093, California, USA
Carlo Brandini
Laboratorio di Monitoraggio e Modellistica Ambientale per lo sviluppo sostenibile (LAMMA), CNR, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Stefano Taddei
Laboratorio di Monitoraggio e Modellistica Ambientale per lo sviluppo sostenibile (LAMMA), CNR, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Maristella Berta
Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), CNR, La Spezia, 19032, Italy
Milena Menna
Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS), Sgonico (Trieste), 34010, Italy
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Sebastien Donnet, Helga S. Huntley, Maristella Berta, Luca Centurioni, Leo Middleton, Tamay Özgökmen, Pierre-Marie Poulain, and Annalisa Griffa
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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.
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Maxime Duranson, Léo Berline, Loïc Guilloux, Alice Della Penna, Mark D. Ohman, Sven Gastauer, Cédric Cotte, Daniela Bănaru, Théo Garcia, Maristella Berta, Andrea Doglioli, Gérald Gregori, Francesco D'Ovidio, and François Carlotti
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The zooplankton community was investigated using net sampling across the North Balearic Front at fine resolution. The front mostly acts as a zonal boundary between communities with a copepod dominated community to the north and a more diversified community to the south. The front itself showed lower biovolume and abundances. The main community difference occurred in the 0–100 m layer, while deeper layers were more homogeneous.
Michele Bendoni, Francesca Caparrini, Andrea Cucco, Stefano Taddei, Iulia Anton, Roberta Paranunzio, Rossella Mocali, Massimo Perna, Michele Sacco, Giovanni Vitale, Manuela Corongiu, Alberto Ortolani, Salem Gharbia, and Carlo Brandini
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-270, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-270, 2025
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We studied how future climate scenarios may affect flooding in three European coastal cities. Using atmospheric data and an integrated modeling framework, we simulated extreme storm surges, waves, and river discharges at high urban resolution (up to 2 m). Flood trends are driven by local geomorphic features, sea-level rise, and storm intensity changes, providing insights for adaptation strategies.
Sebastien Donnet, Helga S. Huntley, Maristella Berta, Luca Centurioni, Leo Middleton, Tamay Özgökmen, Pierre-Marie Poulain, and Annalisa Griffa
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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.
Davide Lombardo, Sofia Flora, Fabio Giordano, Emanuele Ingrassia, Milena Menna, Stefano Querin, and Laura Ursella
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Annunziata Pirro, Riccardo Martellucci, Antonella Gallo, Elisabeth Kubin, Elena Mauri, Mélanie Juza, Giulio Notarstefano, Massimo Pacciaroni, Antonio Bussani, and Milena Menna
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This work analyses the propagation of the 2022 marine heatwave from the surface to 2000 m depth of the water column in the Mediterranean Sea. The results show that the temperature anomaly during the summer of 2022 varies between 0.88 and 2.92 °C. However, this heat stored in the surface layer is distributed in the water column during the following fall. This warming may enhance variations of the circulation of the surface and deep currents, which in turn may have an impact on the climate.
Riccardo Martellucci, Francesco Tiralongo, Sofia F. Darmaraki, Michela D'Alessandro, Giorgio Mancinelli, Emanuele Mancini, Roberto Simonini, Milena Menna, Annunziata Pirro, Diego Borme, Rocco Auriemma, Marco Graziano, and Elena Mauri
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Alberto Ribotti, Antonio Bussani, Milena Menna, Andrea Satta, Roberto Sorgente, Andrea Cucco, and Riccardo Gerin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4651–4659, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4651-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4651-2023, 2023
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Tiziana Ciuffardi, Zoi Kokkini, Maristella Berta, Marina Locritani, Andrea Bordone, Ivana Delbono, Mireno Borghini, Maurizio Demarte, Roberta Ivaldi, Federica Pannacciulli, Anna Vetrano, Davide Marini, and Giovanni Caprino
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1933–1946, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1933-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1933-2023, 2023
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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
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Helen E. Phillips, Amit Tandon, Ryo Furue, Raleigh Hood, Caroline C. Ummenhofer, Jessica A. Benthuysen, Viviane Menezes, Shijian Hu, Ben Webber, Alejandra Sanchez-Franks, Deepak Cherian, Emily Shroyer, Ming Feng, Hemantha Wijesekera, Abhisek Chatterjee, Lisan Yu, Juliet Hermes, Raghu Murtugudde, Tomoki Tozuka, Danielle Su, Arvind Singh, Luca Centurioni, Satya Prakash, and Jerry Wiggert
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Over the past decade, understanding of the Indian Ocean has progressed through new observations and advances in theory and models of the oceanic and atmospheric circulation. This review brings together new understanding of the ocean–atmosphere system in the Indian Ocean, describing Indian Ocean circulation patterns, air–sea interactions, climate variability, and the critical role of the Indian Ocean as a clearing house for anthropogenic heat.
Miroslav Gačić, Laura Ursella, Vedrana Kovačević, Milena Menna, Vlado Malačič, Manuel Bensi, Maria-Eletta Negretti, Vanessa Cardin, Mirko Orlić, Joël Sommeria, Ricardo Viana Barreto, Samuel Viboud, Thomas Valran, Boris Petelin, Giuseppe Siena, and Angelo Rubino
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Experiments in rotating tanks can simulate the Earth system and help to represent the real ocean, where rotation plays an important role. We wanted to show the minor importance of the wind in driving the flow in the Ionian Sea. We did this by observing changes in the water current in a rotating tank affected only by the pumping of dense water into the system. The flow variations were similar to those in the real sea, confirming the scarce importance of the wind for the flow in the Ionian Sea.
Ivan Manso-Narvarte, Erick Fredj, Gabriel Jordà, Maristella Berta, Annalisa Griffa, Ainhoa Caballero, and Anna Rubio
Ocean Sci., 16, 575–591, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-575-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-575-2020, 2020
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Our main aim is to study the feasibility of reconstructing oceanic currents by extending the data obtained from coastal multiplatform observatories to nearby areas in 3D in the SE Bay of Biscay. To that end, two different data-reconstruction methods with different approaches were tested, providing satisfactory results. This work is a first step towards the real applicability of these methods in this study area, and it shows the capabilities of the methods for a wide range of applications.
John Lodise, Tamay Özgökmen, Annalisa Griffa, and Maristella Berta
Ocean Sci., 15, 1627–1651, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-1627-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-1627-2019, 2019
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Observations of ocean currents within the first meter of the surface are made using a large number of ocean drifters of two different draft depths (0–5 and 0–60 cm). We deconstruct the total drifter velocities using an estimate of the regional circulation and a modeled Stokes drift velocity to calculate the purely wind-driven component of each drifter type. We reveal that the wind-driven velocities rotate to the right of the wind, while also decreasing, with depth.
Roberta Sciascia, Maristella Berta, Daniel F. Carlson, Annalisa Griffa, Monica Panfili, Mario La Mesa, Lorenzo Corgnati, Carlo Mantovani, Elisa Domenella, Erick Fredj, Marcello G. Magaldi, Raffaele D'Adamo, Gianfranco Pazienza, Enrico Zambianchi, and Pierre-Marie Poulain
Ocean Sci., 14, 1461–1482, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-1461-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-1461-2018, 2018
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Understanding the role of ocean currents in the recruitment of commercially important fish is an important step toward developing sustainable resource management guidelines. Here, we attempt to elucidate the role of surface ocean transport in supplying recruits of European sardines to the Gulf of Manfredonia, a known recruitment area in the Adriatic Sea. We find that transport to the Gulf of Manfredonia from remote spawing areas in the Adriatic is more likely than local spawning and retention.
Maristella Berta, Lucio Bellomo, Annalisa Griffa, Marcello G. Magaldi, Anne Molcard, Carlo Mantovani, Gian Pietro Gasparini, Julien Marmain, Anna Vetrano, Laurent Béguery, Mireno Borghini, Yves Barbin, Joel Gaggelli, and Céline Quentin
Ocean Sci., 14, 689–710, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-689-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-689-2018, 2018
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The Northern Current (NC) in the NW Mediterranean Sea is studied by HF radar, glider, vessel survey, wind station, and model. NC variability is dominated by synoptic response to wind events, studied decomposing geostrophic and ageostrophic surface components. The combination of autonomous observing platforms with classical marine surveys provides high-resolution datasets for scientific purposes and practical applications such as the management of marine resources in the Mediterranean Sea.
Maher Bouzaiene, Milena Menna, Pierre-Marie Poulain, and Dalila Elhmaidi
Ocean Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/os-2017-34, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-2017-34, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
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The South Western Mediterranean, connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, is a study area useful to describe the interaction between the light Atlantic Water and the denser Mediterranean Water. The spreading of fluid particles, estimated through the analysis of drifter data, is dominated by large mesoscale eddies at short times and small separation distances, and by small mesoscale structures for scale ranging between 3 and 11 km.
Y.-H. Wang, I-J. Cheng, and L. Centurioni
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-11481-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-11481-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
Related subject area
Approach: In situ Observations | Properties and processes: Mesoscale to submesoscale dynamics
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Clea B. Welch, Neil Malan, Daneeja Mawren, Tamaryn Morris, Janet Sprintall, and Juliet C. Hermes
Ocean Sci., 21, 1695–1708, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1695-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1695-2025, 2025
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Yosef Ashkenazy, Hezi Gildor, and Aviv Solodoch
Ocean Sci., 21, 1641–1661, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1641-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1641-2025, 2025
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We studied ocean currents in the eastern Mediterranean near Israel's coast (2016–2024) across depths of up to 1.3 km. The generalized gamma distribution best matched current-speed data. The speed increment time series fit a stretched exponential distribution better than a normal distribution. Comparisons with high-resolution and regional general circulation models showed discrepancies, highlighting the need to refine the models for better extreme current-speed event predictions.
Ria Oelerich, Birte Gülk, Julia Dräger-Dietel, and Alexa Griesel
Ocean Sci., 21, 727–747, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-727-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-727-2025, 2025
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The study explores how unresolved motions in the Benguela upwelling region affect diffusivity estimates and the need for full diffusivity tensors in models. Using a scalar for lateral mixing can be inaccurate due to directional mixing. Analysis of buoys and simulations shows that diffusivity from particle pairs is lower than expected and that removing the mean flow improves estimates. The study shows the importance of full diffusivity tensors for better model mixing and reducing warm biases in models.
Yan Barabinot, Sabrina Speich, Xavier Carton, Pierre L'Hégaret, Corentin Subirade, Rémi Laxenaire, and Johannes Karstensen
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Gillian Mary Damerell, Anthony Bosse, and Ilker Fer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-433, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-433, 2025
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The Lofoten Vortex is an unusual feature in the ocean: a permanent eddy which doesn’t dissipate as most eddies do. We have long thought that other eddies must merge into the Vortex in order to maintain its heat content and energetics, but such mergers are very difficult to observe due to their transient, unpredictable nature. For the first time, we have observed a merger using an ocean glider and high resolution satellite data and can document how the merger affects the properties of the Vortex.
Luis P. Valencia, Ángel Rodríguez-Santana, Borja Aguiar-Gonzaléz, Javier Arístegui, Xosé A. Álvarez-Salgado, Josep Coca, and Antonio Martínez-Marrero
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-99, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-99, 2025
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Our study investigates a rotating body of water south of the Canary Islands, known as an intrathermocline eddy. With an isolated core below the surface, it displayed unique energy distribution and structure. It intensified through interactions with productive coastal waters, while its year-long life cycle was regulated by nearby eddy interactions. By transporting coastal waters offshore, it influenced regional circulation, emphasizing the need for more studies on such eddies.
Yan Barabinot, Sabrina Speich, and Xavier Carton
Ocean Sci., 21, 151–179, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-151-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-151-2025, 2025
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Mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous rotating currents in the ocean. Some eddies, called "materially coherent", are able to transport a different water mass from the surrounding water. By analyzing 3D eddy structures sampled during oceanographic cruises, we found that eddies can be nonmaterially coherent, accounting only for their surface properties, but materially coherent considering their properties at depth. Future studies cannot rely solely on satellite data to evaluate heat and salt transport.
Kjersti Kalhagen, Ragnheid Skogseth, Till M. Baumann, Eva Falck, and Ilker Fer
Ocean Sci., 20, 981–1001, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-981-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-981-2024, 2024
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Atlantic water (AW) is a key driver of change in the Barents Sea. We studied an emerging pathway through the Svalbard Archipelago that allows AW to enter the Barents Sea. We found that the Atlantic sector near the study site has warmed over the past 2 decades; that Atlantic-origin waters intermittently enter the Barents Sea through the aforementioned pathway; and that heat transport is driven by tides, wind events, and variations in the upstream current system.
Eivind H. Kolås, Ilker Fer, and Till M. Baumann
Ocean Sci., 20, 895–916, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-895-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-895-2024, 2024
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In the northwestern Barents Sea, we study the Barents Sea Polar Front formed by Atlantic Water meeting Polar Water. Analyses of ship and glider data from October 2020 to February 2021 show a density front with warm, salty water intruding under cold, fresh water. Short-term variability is linked to tidal currents and mesoscale eddies, influencing front position, density slopes and water mass transformation. Despite seasonal changes in the upper layers, the front remains stable below 100 m depth.
Felipe L. L. Amorim, Julien Le Meur, Achim Wirth, and Vanessa Cardin
Ocean Sci., 20, 463–474, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-463-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-463-2024, 2024
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Analysis of a high-frequency time series of thermohaline data measured at the EMSO-E2M3A regional facility in the southern Adriatic Pit (SAP) reveals a significant change in the double-diffusive regime in 2017 associated with the intrusion of extremely salty waters into the area, suggesting salt fingering as the dominant regime. The strong heat loss at the surface during this winter allowed deep convection to transport this high-salinity water from the intermediate to deep layers of the pit.
Ryan P. North, Julia Dräger-Dietel, and Alexa Griesel
Ocean Sci., 20, 103–121, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-103-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-103-2024, 2024
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The Benguela upwelling region off the coast of Namibia supplies cold water from the deep ocean that is transported offshore in finger-like structures called filaments. We investigate one major filament using measurements from a ship that crossed it multiple times and with mutiple buoys that follow the ocean currents. We find that the motions associated with the filament enhance the kinetic energy at small scales and provide a pathway for mixing of water and turbulent dissipation of energy.
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.
Arthur Coquereau and Nicholas P. Foukal
Ocean Sci., 19, 1393–1411, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1393-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1393-2023, 2023
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Short summary
Drifters and a profiling float were deployed in the coastal waters of the southeastern Ligurian Sea to characterize the near-surface circulation at a scale of ~10 km. The drifters were trapped in an offshore-flowing filament and a cyclonic eddy that developed at the southwestern extremity of the filament. Drifter velocities are used to estimate differential kinematic properties and relative dispersion statistics of the surface currents.
Drifters and a profiling float were deployed in the coastal waters of the southeastern Ligurian...
