Deep water mass characteristics and interannual variability in the North and Central Aegean Sea
- 標題
- Deep water mass characteristics and interannual variability in the North and Central Aegean Sea
- 作者
- D. Velaoras, A. Lascaratos
- 文件屬性
- 國外期刊
- 知識分類
- 基礎研究
- 出版年
- 2005
- 刊名
- Journal of Marine Systems
- 關鍵字
- Aegean Sea; Eastern Mediterranean Sea; Deep water formation; Deep water masses; Dense water; Salt advection
- 點閱數
- 2995
摘要
The characteristics and interannual variability of the deep water masses in the North and Central Aegean Sea are being investigated through the data sets of the Hellenic Navy Hydrographic Service (HNHS) and the MEDATLAS 1997 project. In the period between 1987 and 1993, the densest deep water in the Mediterranean has been produced in the Aegean Sea (with σθ densities reaching up to 29.6 kg/m3), contributing to what has been called the Eastern Mediterranean Transient. The examination of time series of mean integrated values of θ, S and σθ below the depth of 500 dbar reveals the significant deep water density increase after 1987 in all of the deep basins in the area. Data suggest that the density increase of 1987–1988 is mainly attributed to a temperature drop, while in 1993, an even more intense density increase is observed, characterized this time by an abrupt salinity increase. We assume that the increased salinity necessary to produce deep water masses with the observed characteristics was not locally produced but rather advected from the Levantine through the South Aegean. After 1993, no new deep water formation episodes have been observed. A series of Θ–S diagrams derived from HNHS CTD casts covering the period between 1993 and 2000, depict the different characteristics of the deep water masses in the area. As 1993 marks the end of the formation period, observed differences between basins in that year must be attributed to different deep water formation sites. Thereafter, the stagnating deep water in the North and Central Aegean basins has been slowly gaining buoyancy by losing salt and gaining heat. The rate at which this phenomenon takes place varies between different deep basins. It is suggested that these variations are linked to the different volumes of each basin as well as to the general circulation features of the Aegean Sea.