Opportunity observation of an Algerian Eddy to the south of Cape Palos (southwestern Mediterranean Sea) |
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Manuel Vargas-Yáñez, Ricardo F. Sánchez-Leal, Aida Alvera-Azcárate, Charles Troupin, Francina Moya, Enrique Ballesteros, Mariano Serra, Rosa Balbín, Vicenç Moltó, Mª Carmen García-Martínez |
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Large
anticyclonic eddies can detach from the Algerian Current, forming
open-sea Algerian Eddies. These mesoscale structures have been
intensively studied by means of sea surface temperature and altimetry
data, and using numerical models. However, few studies describe an in
situ sampling of their whole vertical structure. Furthermore, the area
extending from Cape La Nao (western edge of the Balearic Channels) to
the Almería-Orán Front has received very little attention, and it could
be considered that there is a gap in our present oceanographic knowledge
of this part of the western Mediterranean. An Algerian Eddy lasting for
several months was detected in December 2021 to the south of Cape
Palos. In order to analyse this eddy, an opportunity sampling was
designed taking advantage of the periodic monitoring campaign RADMED
0222. This sampling revealed that the eddy had a baroclinic character,
affecting the whole water column. These results suggest that this eddy
was generated at the Algerian Current, finally affecting an area close
to the eastern Spanish coast. The presence of these structures in this
region of the western Mediterranean could alter the southward
progression of the Northern Current and even the presence and structure
of the Almería-Orán Front. |
Keywords: Algerian Eddy; Algerian Current; western Mediterranean; mesoscale structures |
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