Articles | Volume 21, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2849-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2849-2025
Research article
 | 
11 Nov 2025
Research article |  | 11 Nov 2025

When storms stir the Mediterranean depths: chlorophyll a response to Mediterranean cyclones

Giovanni Scardino, Alok Kushabaha, Mario Marcello Miglietta, Davide Bonaldo, and Giovanni Scicchitano

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Climate of the Past (CP).
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Cited articles

Androulidakis, Y. and Pytharoulis, I.: Variability of marine heatwaves and atmospheric cyclones in the Mediterranean Sea during the last four decades, Environ. Res. Lett., 20, 034031, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adb505, 2025. 
Argo: Argo float data and metadata from the Global Data Assembly Centre (GDAC), SEANOE [data set], https://doi.org/10.17882/42182, 2023. 
Argüeso, D., Marcos, M., and Amores, A.: Storm Daniel fueled by anomalously high sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean, npj Clim. Atmos. Sci., 7, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00872-2, 2024. 
Athanasiou, P., van Dongeren, A., Giardino, A., Vousdoukas, M., Gaytan-Aguilar, S., and Ranasinghe, R.: Global distribution of nearshore slopes with implications for coastal retreat, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 1515–1529, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-1515-2019, 2019. 
Avolio, E., Fanelli, C., Pisano, A., and Miglietta, M. M.: Unveiling the Relationship Between Mediterranean Tropical-Like Cyclones and Rising Sea Surface Temperature, Geophys. Res. Lett., 51, e2024GL109921, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109921, 2024. 
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This study investigated how Mediterranean cyclones impact chlorophyll-a dynamics. Using reanalysis data, ARGO floats, and satellite imagery, we found that slow-moving cyclones significantly uplift the deep chlorophyll maximum. Upwelling and air-sea heat exchange were key mechanisms driving this uplift, enhancing nutrient availability and primary productivity. These findings highlight the strong influence of cyclone intensity and movement on biogeochemical processes in the Mediterranean Sea.
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