Abstract
Abstract In this paper, the influence of the density gradients at the straits of Gibraltar and Sicily on the large-scale circulation of the Western Mediterranean Sea is investigated through a 3D numerical model. The topography constraint is analyzed by comparing an experiment with a flat bottom with an experiment with a realistic bathymetry. The results show the ability of the density gradients at the straits to force a cyclonic surface circulation in the whole basin, particularly in the northern basin where the transport in the Liguro–Provencal current is about 40% of the observed one. These experiments point out the key role played by the strait of Sicily and its topography. There the eastward surface flow separates into two branches: one enters the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, while the other flows along the Italian coasts to feed the cyclonic circulation of the northern basin. In the Alboran Sea, which is a priori the region where the dynamics is the most strongly induced by the transport through the St...
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