OS Ocean Science OS Ocean Sci. 1812-0792 Copernicus Publications Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/os-6-825-2010 Upper layer current variability in the Central Ligurian Sea Picco P. 1 Cappelletti A. 2 Sparnocchia S. 3 Schiano M. E. 4 Pensieri S. 5 Bozzano R. 5 ENEA CRAM, Forte S. Teresa, 19036 Pozzuolo di Lerici (SP), Italy ENEA, Via V. Viviani 23, 56124 Pisa, Italy CNR-ISMAR-TS, Viale R. Gessi 2, 34123 Trieste, Italy CNR ISMAR-GE, Via de Marini 6, 16149 Genova, Italy CNR ISSIA-GE, Via de Marini 6, 16149 Genova, Italy 01 10 2010 6 4 825 836 Copyright: © 2010 P. Picco et al. 2010 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is available from https://os.copernicus.org/articles/6/825/2010/os-6-825-2010.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://os.copernicus.org/articles/6/825/2010/os-6-825-2010.pdf

Long-time series of surface currents and meteorological parameters were analysed to estimate the variability of the upper layer circulation and the response to the local winds. Current meter data were collected by an upward-looking RDI Sentinel 300 kHz ADCP deployed in the Central Ligurian Sea (43°47.77' N; 9°02.85' E) near the meteo-oceanographic buoy ODAS Italia 1 for more than eight months, from 13th of September 2003 to 24th of May 2004. The ADCP sampled the upper 50 m of water column at 8 m vertical resolution and 1 h time interval; surface marine and atmospheric hourly averaged data were provided by the buoy. Currents in the sampled layer were mainly barotropic, directed North-West in accordance with the general circulation of the area, and had a mean velocity of about 18 cm/s and hourly mean peaks up to 80 cm/s. Most of the observed variability in the upper thermocline was determined by inertial currents and mesoscale activity due to the presence of the Ligurian Front. Local wind had a minor role in the near-surface circulation but induced internal waves propagating downward in the water column.

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