Dense shelf water and associated sediment transport in the Cap de Creus Canyon and adjacent shelf under mild winter regimes: insights from the 2021–2022 winter

Arjona-Camas, Marta; Durrieu de Madron, Xavier; Bourrin, François; Fos, Helena; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna; Amblas, David

doi:10.5194/os-21-3195-2025

Articles | Volume 21, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3195-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3195-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 21, issue 6

Research article

|

27 Nov 2025

Research article |

| 27 Nov 2025

Dense shelf water and associated sediment transport in the Cap de Creus Canyon and adjacent shelf under mild winter regimes: insights from the 2021–2022 winter

Marta Arjona-Camas, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, François Bourrin, Helena Fos, Anna Sanchez-Vidal, and David Amblas

Data sets

CC1000 observatory data A. Sanchez-Vidal et al. https://doi.org/10.17882/104746

BILLION observatory data X. Durrieu de Madron et al. https://doi.org/10.17882/45980

CTD and ADCP data collected during the cruise FARDWO CC1 A. Sanchez-Vidal et al. https://doi.org/10.17882/105499

Glider data F. Bourrin https://data-selection.odatis-ocean.fr/coriolis/uri/p83112098

Short summary

This study examines dense shelf water and sediment transport in the Cap de Creus Canyon during the mild winter of 2021–2022, using multiplatform-observational data and the MedSea Reanalysis product. Results show dense shelf waters on the shelf and upper canyon, contributing to Western Intermediate Water. Dense shelf water transport exhibit marked interannual variability, even under mild winters. MDSWC (mild dense shelf water cascading) events are expected to increase with climate change, favoring intermediate-water formation.