Articles | Volume 22, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-459-2026
© 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-22-459-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
10 Feb 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 10 Feb 2026
| 10 Feb 2026
A realistic physical model of the Gibraltar Strait
Axel Tassigny
LEGI UMR5519, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, 38000, France
Stef L. Bardoel
LEGI UMR5519, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, 38000, France
Thomas Valran
LEGI UMR5519, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, 38000, France
Samuel Viboud
LEGI UMR5519, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, 38000, France
Louis Gostiaux
CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, LMFA, UMR5509, 69130, Ecully, France
Joël Sommeria
LEGI UMR5519, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, 38000, France
Lucie Bordois
Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine (SHOM), Brest, France
Xavier Carton
University Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEM, Plouzané, France
Maria Eletta Negretti
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
LEGI UMR5519, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, 38000, France
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Fabius Kouogang, Ariane Koch-Larrouy, Xavier Carton, and Moacyr Araujo
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6390, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6390, 2025
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Our research investigates how large waves travel deep within the ocean. Using a detailed computer model, we show that when these deep waves meet giant ocean whirlpools, their path is dramatically changed. They can be bent off course, split apart, or stopped completely. An underwater mountain works with these whirlpools to transfer the wave energy between different ocean layers. Understanding this process is vital because it controls ocean mixing.
Adèle Moncuquet, Nicole L. Jones, Lucie Bordois, François Dufois, and Pascal Lazure
Ocean Sci., 21, 3375–3395, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3375-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3375-2025, 2025
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Internal waves along the Bay of Biscay coast transport water distinctly: surface and seafloor water moves shoreward while mid-depth water moves offshore, matching linear internal tide theory. This transport equals effects of moderate winds that typically dominate. Internal waves were the main transport at one site and enhanced shoreward flow near the seabed at another. Understanding these patterns could explain movement of nutrients, sediments, and pollutants affecting coastal ecosystems.
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Editorial statement
This is an interesting study using a large rotating tank in the laboratory to simulate the flow through the Strait of Gibraltar. Laboratory experiments in geophysical fluid dynamics are increasingly rare, yet are highly visual and stimulating. The results are of high impact for understanding the processes such as tides determining the exchange between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
This is an interesting study using a large rotating tank in the laboratory to simulate the flow...
Short summary
This study uses a realistic laboratory model to reveal how tides and topography shape the exchange of waters at the Strait of Gibraltar. The experiments show when, where and why strong dilution occurs, and how and why conditions change between spring and neap tides. The results give new insight into a complex passage that links the Atlantic and Mediterranean, improving our ability to understand and predict its behavior.
This study uses a realistic laboratory model to reveal how tides and topography shape the...
