Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019
The longest time series of CTD transects available in the Mallorca and Ibiza Channels (1996–2019) are presented. These hydrographic sections have a three-monthly periodicity and allow to resolve the seasonal cycle of water mass properties. They are organized in two closed boxes allowing the use of i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.568602/full |
| _version_ | 1819089627361837056 |
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| author | Manuel Vargas-Yáñez Melanie Juza Rosa Balbín Pedro Velez-Belchí M. Carmen García-Martínez Francina Moya Alonso Hernández-Guerra |
| author_facet | Manuel Vargas-Yáñez Melanie Juza Rosa Balbín Pedro Velez-Belchí M. Carmen García-Martínez Francina Moya Alonso Hernández-Guerra |
| author_sort | Manuel Vargas-Yáñez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The longest time series of CTD transects available in the Mallorca and Ibiza Channels (1996–2019) are presented. These hydrographic sections have a three-monthly periodicity and allow to resolve the seasonal cycle of water mass properties. They are organized in two closed boxes allowing the use of inverse models for the calculation of absolute geostrophic transports through the Channels. These long time series allow to establish the climatological distributions of potential temperature and salinity for each season of the year as well as other relevant statistical properties such as the variance and covariance functions. The results indicate that these distributions depart from normality making the median a better statistic than the mean value for the description of climatological fields. The salinity field shows a seasonal cycle in the upper layer indicating a higher influence of the Atlantic Water during summer, decreasing through the rest of the year. The Western Intermediate Water, which is mainly formed in the North-Western Mediterranean and the Balearic Sea, is observed preferentially in the Ibiza Channel during winter and spring. This water mass is better detected using a geometry-based method instead of the traditional criterion based on predefined temperature and salinity ranges. These water masses flow preferentially southwards through the Ibiza Channel, and northwards through the Mallorca Channel, although intrusions in the opposite directions are observed. Below, the Levantine Intermediate Water shows a similar behavior, but the mass transport analyses suggest that most of this water mass recirculates with the Balearic Current along the northern slope of the Islands. Although the depth of both Channels prevents the circulation of deep waters, a small fraction of the Western Mediterranean Deep Water could overflow the sills. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:10:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b159e03a09a048df84bf3bacda186ebf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:10:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-b159e03a09a048df84bf3bacda186ebf2022-12-21T18:48:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452020-09-01710.3389/fmars.2020.568602568602Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019Manuel Vargas-Yáñez0Melanie Juza1Rosa Balbín2Pedro Velez-Belchí3M. Carmen García-Martínez4Francina Moya5Alonso Hernández-Guerra6Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Málaga, SpainSOCIB, Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System, Palma de Mallorca, SpainInstituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma de Mallorca, SpainCentro Oceanográfico de Canarias, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainInstituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Málaga, SpainInstituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Málaga, SpainUnidad Océano y Clima, Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ULPGC, Unidad Asociada ULPGC-CSIC, Canary Islands, SpainThe longest time series of CTD transects available in the Mallorca and Ibiza Channels (1996–2019) are presented. These hydrographic sections have a three-monthly periodicity and allow to resolve the seasonal cycle of water mass properties. They are organized in two closed boxes allowing the use of inverse models for the calculation of absolute geostrophic transports through the Channels. These long time series allow to establish the climatological distributions of potential temperature and salinity for each season of the year as well as other relevant statistical properties such as the variance and covariance functions. The results indicate that these distributions depart from normality making the median a better statistic than the mean value for the description of climatological fields. The salinity field shows a seasonal cycle in the upper layer indicating a higher influence of the Atlantic Water during summer, decreasing through the rest of the year. The Western Intermediate Water, which is mainly formed in the North-Western Mediterranean and the Balearic Sea, is observed preferentially in the Ibiza Channel during winter and spring. This water mass is better detected using a geometry-based method instead of the traditional criterion based on predefined temperature and salinity ranges. These water masses flow preferentially southwards through the Ibiza Channel, and northwards through the Mallorca Channel, although intrusions in the opposite directions are observed. Below, the Levantine Intermediate Water shows a similar behavior, but the mass transport analyses suggest that most of this water mass recirculates with the Balearic Current along the northern slope of the Islands. Although the depth of both Channels prevents the circulation of deep waters, a small fraction of the Western Mediterranean Deep Water could overflow the sills.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.568602/fullBalearic ChannelsWestern Mediterraneanbox inverse modelwater massesNorthern and Balearic Currents |
| spellingShingle | Manuel Vargas-Yáñez Melanie Juza Rosa Balbín Pedro Velez-Belchí M. Carmen García-Martínez Francina Moya Alonso Hernández-Guerra Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019 Frontiers in Marine Science Balearic Channels Western Mediterranean box inverse model water masses Northern and Balearic Currents |
| title | Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019 |
| title_full | Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019 |
| title_fullStr | Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019 |
| title_short | Climatological Hydrographic Properties and Water Mass Transports in the Balearic Channels From Repeated Observations Over 1996–2019 |
| title_sort | climatological hydrographic properties and water mass transports in the balearic channels from repeated observations over 1996 2019 |
| topic | Balearic Channels Western Mediterranean box inverse model water masses Northern and Balearic Currents |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.568602/full |
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