Dense water formation in the eastern Mediterranean  under a global warming scenario

Parras-Berrocal, Iván M.; Vázquez, Rubén; Cabos, William; Sein, Dimitry V.; Álvarez, Oscar; Bruno, Miguel; Izquierdo, Alfredo

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-941-2023

Articles | Volume 19, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-941-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-941-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 3

Research article

| Highlight paper

|

28 Jun 2023

Research article | Highlight paper |

| 28 Jun 2023

Dense water formation in the eastern Mediterranean under a global warming scenario

Iván M. Parras-Berrocal, Rubén Vázquez, William Cabos, Dimitry V. Sein, Oscar Álvarez, Miguel Bruno, and Alfredo Izquierdo

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-941-2023-supplement

Data sets

ROM model data for Eastern Mediterranean Dense Water Formation Iván M. Parras-Berrocal, Rubén Vázquez, William Cabos, Dimitry V. Sein, Oscar Álvarez, Miguel Bruno, and Alfredo Izquierdo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7594313

Co-editor-in-chief

This research predicts the potential future of the Eastern Mediterranean's circulation under the RCP8.5 emission scenario, using a coupled regional climate system model and a global oceanic model. The study predicts a significant decrease in dense water formation, a key process in Mediterranean overturning circulation, by up to 84% in the Adriatic, Aegean, and Levantine seas by the end of the century. This study forecasts a shift in the main source of Eastern Mediterranean Deep Water from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea. These changes, related to increased vertical stratification that hinders vertical mixing and convection, fill a crucial gap in our understanding of how climate change could reshape the Mediterranean Sea's dynamics.