Surface Circulation in the Northeastern Mediterranean (NEMED)

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 objectives of the NEMED project are to measure the surface currents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea with a particular focus on the eastern and northern areas of the Levantine sub-basin; and to validate (or not) circulation patterns published in the literature based on in-situ observations (CTD and AXBT), remote sensing data (sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface topography), and models. The investigators proposed to use low-cost satellite-tracked drifters to measure currents in the near-surface mixed-layer. The monitoring of the circulation in the Northeastern Mediterranean, with a main focus on the currents trapped on the topographic slope and on sub-basin and mesoscale eddies, is planned for a full year to investigate any seasonal variability. The surface current observations will be interpreted in concert with the distribution of tracers (SST, chlorophyll, etc.) measured from satellites.