Dense water formation in the eastern Mediterranean under a global warming scenario
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Published:2023-06-28
Issue:3
Volume:19
Page:941-952
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ISSN:1812-0792
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Container-title:Ocean Science
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Ocean Sci.
Author:
Parras-Berrocal Iván M.ORCID, Vázquez RubénORCID, Cabos WilliamORCID, Sein Dimitry V.ORCID, Álvarez Oscar, Bruno Miguel, Izquierdo AlfredoORCID
Abstract
Abstract. Dense water formation in the eastern Mediterranean (EMed)
is essential in sustaining the Mediterranean overturning circulation.
Changes in the sources of dense water in the EMed point to changes in the
circulation and water properties of the Mediterranean Sea. Here we
examine with a regional climate system model the changes in the dense water
formation in the EMed through the 21st century under the RCP8.5
emission scenario. Our results show a shift in the dominant source of
Eastern Mediterranean Deep Water (EMDW) from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean
Sea in the first half of the 21st century. The projected dense water
formation is reduced by 75 % for the Adriatic Sea, 84 % for the Aegean Sea,
and 83 % for the Levantine Sea by the end of the century. The reduction in
the intensity of deep water formation is related to hydrographic changes in
surface and intermediate water that strengthen the vertical stratification,
hampering vertical mixing and thus convection. Those changes have an
impact on the water that flows through the Strait of Sicily to the western
Mediterranean and therefore on the whole Mediterranean system.
Funder
Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Cell Biology,Developmental Biology,Embryology,Anatomy
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