Journal
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
Volume 67, Issue -, Pages 55-72Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2012.05.004
Keywords
Dense water formation; North Aegean; HYCOM; Mixed layer; Buoyancy loss
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Funding
- SESAME project (EC) [GOCE-036949]
- European Commission's Sixth Framework Program under the priority Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems
- U.S. Office of Naval Research [N000140810980]
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The North Aegean Sea is considered as one of the major dense water formation sites of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, contributing to the renewal of the Mediterranean deep water masses. We investigate the variability of the deeper water mass characteristics during the period 2002-2008, employing the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model for the North Aegean region. Two significant dense water formation events were detected, and the role of the major lateral water inputs, namely waters of Levantine Sea and Black Sea origin, was investigated. Atmospheric conditions were identified as the main factor of dense water formation during 2003, when strong buoyancy loss due to the low winter temperatures produced new dense water masses in the surface and intermediate layers ( < 400 m). During 2006, it was the intrusion of more saline Levantine waters that increased the sigma-theta of the south North Aegean region, creating idealized conditions for a potential greater dense water formation event. The Black Sea Waters spreading may affect the Mixed Layer Depth variability, promoting the stratification of the water column and playing a vital role on the dense water formation activity, working against the open-sea convection of denser waters. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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