Articles | Volume 22, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-329-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-329-2026
Research article
 | 
02 Feb 2026
Research article |  | 02 Feb 2026

Coastal-to-offshore submesoscale horizontal stirring enhances wintertime phytoplankton blooms in the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Yotam Fadida, Vicky Verma, Roy Barkan, Eli Biton, Aviv Solodoch, and Yoav Lehahn

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Cited articles

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Short summary
In the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean, winter phytoplankton blooms are enhanced by submesoscale horizontal stirring. Satellite data and simulations show these currents transport chlorophyll-rich coastal waters offshore, contributing ~24.8 % to the seasonal surface chlorophyll increase. This highlights the key role of horizontal processes in bloom dynamics and ecosystem regulation.
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