FN Archimer Export Format
PT J
TI Mean sea level and surface circulation variability of the Mediterranean Sea from 2 years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry
BT 
AF LARNICOL, Gilles
   LE TRAON, Pierre-Yves
   AYOUB, N
   DEMEY, P
AS 1:;2:;3:;4:;
FF 1:;2:;3:;4:;
C1 CNRS, OCEANOG & GEOPHYS LAB, F-31055 TOULOUSE, FRANCE.
C2 CNRS, OCEANOG & GEOPHYS LAB, F-31055 TOULOUSE, FRANCE.
SI TOULOUSE CLS ARGOS
IF 2.68
TC 62
UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00079/18979/16625.pdf
LA English
DT Article
AB We describe the circulation and mean sea lever variations of the Mediterranean Sea from 2 years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetric data. It is first shown that the response of the Mediterranean Sea to atmospheric pressure forcing is close to an inverse barometer (except at high frequencies) which means that the adjustment is accompanied by a flow through the Straits of Sicily and Gibraltar. We then use TOPEX/POSEIDON to study the mean sea level variations, representing steric effects and integrated large-scale changes of the mass of the Mediterranean Sea. We observe an annual cycle with a fast drop during winter, Steric effects account for about half of the observed variations. The remaining signal is believed to be driven by evaporation minus precipitation (E - P) forcing and internal hydraulic control in the Straits of Gibraltar. Using suboptimal space-time objective analysis, the classic components of the Mediterranean surface circulation are recovered, despite low signal-to-noise ratio (the rms of sea level variability is less than 10 cm). The variable Mediterranean circulation is seen as a complex combination of mesoscale and large-scale variations. The surface circulation is more complex in the eastern basin than in the western basin. In the east it is composed of subbasin-scale gyres, such as the so-called Mersa-Matruh and Shikmona gyres, which do not have an obvious recurrence period. We also observe an intensification of the large-scale cyclonic winter circulation in the western and in the Ionian basins. Several mesoscale structures, such as the Alboran gyres and the lerepetra gyre, show a clear seasonal cycle, with a maximum in summer. The good qualitative and quantitative agreement of the results with previous data from the Mediterranean illustrates the improved accurary of TOPEX/POSEIDON over its predecessors.
PY 1995
PD DEC
SO Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans
SN 0148-0227
PU Amer Geophysical Union
VL 100
IS C12
UT A1995TL34100039
BP 25163
EP 25177
DI 10.1029/95JC01961
ID 18979
ER

EF