Abstract
The HYdrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) Special Observing Period 2 (SOP2, January 27–March 15, 2013) was dedicated to the study of dense water formation in the Gulf of Lion in the northwestern Mediterranean. This paper outlines the deep convection of winter 2012–2013 and the meteorological conditions that produced it. Alternating phases of mixing and restratification are related to periods of high and low heat losses, respectively. High-resolution, realistic, three-dimensional models are essential for assessing the intricacy of buoyancy fluxes, horizontal advection, and convective processes. At the submesoscale, vertical velocities resulting from symmetric instabilities of the density front bounding the convection zone are crucial for ventilating the deep ocean. Finally, concomitant atmospheric and oceanic data extracted from the comprehensive SOP2 data set highlight the rapid, coupled evolution of oceanic and atmospheric boundary layer characteristics during a strong wind event.
Highlights
Observations of oceanic convection leading to dense water formation (DWF) have been collected in a variety of regions, including the Greenland, Labrador, Mediterranean, and Weddell Seas
Our observations suggest that this process, recently found in the Gulf Stream (Thomas et al, 2013), could play a crucial role in the ventilation of high- and mid-latitude deep convection zones
The first results presented here indicate the importance of exchanges between the mixed patch and its stratified periphery
Summary
Observations of oceanic convection leading to dense water formation (DWF) have been collected in a variety of regions, including the Greenland, Labrador, Mediterranean, and Weddell Seas (see Marshall and Schott, 1999, for a review). Long-term and Enhanced Observation Periods Sensors on two Météo-France buoys known as Lion in the Gulf of Lion and Azur in the Ligurian Sea measure the parameters needed to calculate the heat and water budgets (i.e., atmospheric parameters, radiative fluxes, and sea surface temperature).
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