Opportunity observation of an Algerian Eddy to the south of Cape Palos (southwestern Mediterranean Sea)
[EN] Large anticyclonic eddies can detach from the Algerian Current, forming open-sea Algerian Eddies. These mesoscale structures have been intensively studied by means of sea surface temperature and altimetry data, and using numerical models. However, few studies describe an in situ sampling of the...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/348553 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/348553 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85174025604 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Algerian Current Algerian Eddy mesoscale structures western Mediterranean Giro Argelino Corriente Argelina Mediterráneo Occidental estructuras de mesoescala |
| Sumario: | [EN] Large anticyclonic eddies can detach from the Algerian Current, forming open-sea Algerian Eddies. These mesoscale structures have been intensively studied by means of sea surface temperature and altimetry data, and using numerical models. However, few studies describe an in situ sampling of their whole vertical structure. Furthermore, the area extending from Cape La Nao (western edge of the Balearic Channels) to the Almería-Orán Front has received very little attention, and it could be considered that there is a gap in our present oceanographic knowledge of this part of the western Mediterranean. An Algerian Eddy lasting for several months was detected in December 2021 to the south of Cape Palos. In order to analyse this eddy, an opportunity sampling was designed taking advantage of the periodic monitoring campaign RADMED 0222. This sampling revealed that the eddy had a baroclinic character, affecting the whole water column. These results suggest that this eddy was generated at the Algerian Current, finally affecting an area close to the eastern Spanish coast. The presence of these structures in this region of the western Mediterranean could alter the southward progression of the Northern Current and even the presence and structure of the Almería-Orán Front. |
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