Rising temperature and salinity fields to the north of the Almería‐Orán Front during the past decade

Abstract

Time series of temperature and salinity profiles in the South Western Mediterranean Sea are analyzed from June 1996 to November 2006. Previous studies have addressed the detection of changes on isobaric levels. In this paper we decompose thermohaline changes into those caused by vertical displacements of the isopycnals, more likely linked to changes in the dynamics of the region and dominant winds, and those changes on isopycnal surfaces. The latter give a more accurate idea about changes in water mass properties due to ocean‐atmosphere interaction. Our analysis reveals that there has been a warming and salting on isopycnal surfaces. The warming during this 10‐year period is quite intense, around 0.032°C yr−1, and the salinity increase is around 0.009 yr−1. The depth of isopycnals shows an upward trend, rising 45 m over the study period, compensating for the warming on isobaric surfaces.