Meteorological influences on the surface hydrographic patterns of the North Aegean Sea

Abstract

Hydrographic data from the North Aegean Sea were used to examine the summer variability of surface water masses during the period 1998–2001. Attention was placed on the surface hydrographic features of the area, such as the Black Sea Water (BSW) plume expansion, the frontal characteristics of the BSW with the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) and the variability of submesoscale hydrographic features (such as the Samothraki Anticyclone). Strong southerly wind stresses were found responsible for relaxing the horizontal density gradients across the BSW-LIW frontal zone and displacing this front to the north of Lemnos Island, thus suppressing the Samothraki Anticyclone towards the Thracian Sea continental shelf. Under northerly winds, the BSW-LIW front returns to its regular position (south of Lemnos Island), thus allowing the horizontal expansion of the Samothraki gyre up to the Athos Peninsula. Present results indicate the importance of medium-term wind stress effects on the generation of Samothraki Anticyclone suppression/expansion events.