Winter convection continues in the warming southern Adriatic

Abstract

During winters in the eastern Mediterranean, cold winds blow over the waters of the southern portion of the Adriatic Sea, resulting in heat loss of the ocean. This cold surface water becomes denser than surrounding waters and sinks into the deep reaches of the Mediterranean Sea. This forms ‘deep water,’ or water once at the ocean's surface that now has sunk to depths of 1500 meters and more. The Southern Adriatic Pit (SAP) is the convection site and source for the Eastern Mediterranean Deep Water (EMDW). Since the late 1980s, the SAP has been monitored almost every year because of its importance in driving the eastern Mediterranean deep circulation convection cell.