Articles | Volume 22, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-329-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-22-329-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 Feb 2026
Research article |
| 02 Feb 2026
| 02 Feb 2026
Coastal-to-offshore submesoscale horizontal stirring enhances wintertime phytoplankton blooms in the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Yotam Fadida
Department of Marine Geosciences, Charney School of Marine Science, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel
Vicky Verma
Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Roy Barkan
Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Eli Biton
Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel
Aviv Solodoch
Institute of Earth Sciences, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Yoav Lehahn
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Marine Geosciences, Charney School of Marine Science, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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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.
In the ultra-oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean, winter phytoplankton blooms are enhanced by...
