Near-Surface Dispersion and Circulation in the Marmara Sea (MARMARA)

Abstract : The long-term goals of this project are as follows: (1) to investigate the dynamics of semi-enclosed seas dominated by buoyancy input and wind forcing and influenced by complex topography; and (2) to improve the understanding of coastal marine environmental evolution, with particular emphasis on eddy dynamics. The main objective of the MARMARA project is to study the near-surface dispersion and circulation in the Marmara Sea, a small (70 x 250 km) basin connecting the Aegean Sea (through the Dardanelles Strait) to the Black Sea (via the Bosphorus Strait). The investigators planned to study the surface circulation dynamics of the Marmara Sea at scales from inertial/tidal to seasonal using drifter observations and ancillary satellite data (sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color) over about a year (from summer 2008 to spring 2009), in conjunction with other observational programs and numerical simulation exercises conducted by colleagues in the Turkish Straits System. The investigators deployed surface drifters in two main episodes (in late summer 2008 and winter 2009) at key locations to maximize the geographical coverage of the Marmara Sea and to construct maps of mean circulation and eddy variability in terms of seasons and major wind regimes (Eulerian statistics). The deployments will mostly be in small (1 nm) clusters of three drifters to assess the horizontal dispersion of the surface waters (Lagrangian dispersion statistics). The drifter data also will be used in concert with satellite images (SST and ocean color) to describe qualitatively the surface dynamics.