Variations in the Structure of the Anticyclonic Gyres Found in the Alboran Sea

Historical satellite, aircraft, and in situ data have shown that two anticyclonic gyres (the western and eastern Alboran gyres) are major ocean features of the Alboran Sea. An examination of several years of satellite imagery indicates that large variations in the surface expression of these two gyr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Heburn, George W, La Violette, Paul E
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ALBORAN SEA
ANTICYCLONIC GYRES
CIRCULATION
DYNAMICS
EDDIES(FLUID MECHANICS)
FLUX(RATE)
GIBRALTAR STRAIT
GYRES(OCEANOGRAPHY)
MASS FLOW
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
NOWCASTING
OCEAN CIRCULATION
OCEAN MODELS
OCEAN SURFACE
PE63207N
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
PREDICTIONS
REPRINTS
SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHY
SCALE
SICILY
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TIME
WATER FLOW
WIND
WUDN496436
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Summary:Historical satellite, aircraft, and in situ data have shown that two anticyclonic gyres (the western and eastern Alboran gyres) are major ocean features of the Alboran Sea. An examination of several years of satellite imagery indicates that large variations in the surface expression of these two gyres occur and that on occasion one or the other gyre disappears (the disappearance of both gyres at the same time was not seen). The initial disappearance of either gyre occurs on a time scale of a week to 2 weeks, whereas the return may take from 3 weeks to 2 months. Various forcing mechanisms, i.e., winds, mass flux inflow through the Straits of Gibraltar and Sicily, and/or density, have been used in numerical ocean circulation models to study the dynamics of the western Mediterranean Sea. Various model results show relationships similar to those shown by the satellite imagery. However, no single forcing mechanism has been positively identified as the source of the disappearances, and the events may be a result of a combination of forcing mechanisms. Keywords: Nowcasting; Ocean circulation/models; Mathematical models; Reprints. Pub. in Jnl. of Geophysical Research, v95 nc2 p1599-1613, 15 Feb 1990.