DATE2016-05-30 11:26:35
IDABSTRACT20160530112635-1000
CONTACTvpefanis@oc.phys.uoa.gr
PRESENTATIONORAL-PARALLEL
INVITED0
IDSESSION1
TITLEIMPACT OF SURFACE WATER TURBIDITY ON THE DYNAMICS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND ITS INTERACTION WITH THE ATMOSPHERE
AUTHORSVasileios Pefanis (1), Athanasios Nenes (1,2,3,4), Apostolia-maria Mavropoulou (1), Vassilios Vervatis (1), Sarantis Sofianos (1)
AFFILIATIONS
  1. Ocean Physics And Modelling Group, Department Of Physics, University Of Athens Athens (Greece)
  2. School Of Earth And Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute Of Technology Atlanta, Ga (United States)
  3. Institute Of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Foundation For Research And Technology Patras (Greece)
  4. Institute For Environmental Research And Sustainable Development, National Observatory Of Athens Palea Penteli (Greece)
ABSTRACTUnderstanding the role of the ocean and its interactions with the atmosphere is paramount for quantifying regional climate change. Here we study the impact of surface ocean turbidity on the characteristics, stratification and circulation of the Mediterranean Sea and their feedback to the regional air-sea interactions. We use the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and we examine the effects of surface water turbidity on mixed layer depth (MLD), sea surface temperature (SST), buoyancy and associated heat fluxes over the Mediterranean Sea with long-term experiments. The influence of the vertical irradiance profile is examined by means of the Jerlov optical water type classification. As a first approximation, and for understanding the processes involved, we perform multiple model experiments using different optical water types. The results suggest that an increase in surface water turbidity leads to general cooling of the Mediterranean Sea but with a slight warming of the top few meters of the water column. This surface warming induces larger heat losses, as well as an intensified exchange at the Strait of Gibraltar. Considering the two extreme (clear, very turbid) we find a 0.7°C mean basin temperature decrease. At the same time mean heat loss increases by about 5W/m2 while the seasonal variability decreases. Major changes are also observed in the mixed layer depth (-11m), with turbid water corresponding to shallower mixed layer and stronger stratification, especially during winter.
PAGE3
STATE1