CIESM Hydrochanges Program: continuous, long-term measurements of temperature & salinity of Mediterranean deep waters in key areas – a priority in the current context of global warming.

Coordination: Patrick Raimbault 1, Gilles Rougier 2 and Isabelle Taupier-Letage3
1 COM (Centre d'Oceanologie de Marseille), Marseille, France
2 Lab. d'Oceanographie et de Biogeochimie, Antenne de Toulon, La Seyne/mer, France
3 Lab. d'Oceanogr. & de Biogeochimie, CNRS, Antenne de Toulon, La Seyne/mer, France

Brief description

In situ measurements of temperature and salinity, collected with adequate spatial and temporal resolutions, and with particular attention to sensitive, often long-neglected Mediterranean areas (straits and channels, zones of dense water formation, deeper parts of the basins), constitute a priority, particularly in the current context of global climate change (see CIESM Workshop Monograph n°16 for details). To this effect, our CIESM program is deploying/ monitoring an array of stations that could be viewed in time as the marine counterpart of meteorological stations. A station is composed of a short (~10 m high) subsurface mooring equipped with an autonomous CTD (1 to 2-hr sampling interval) and usually a current-meter. Moorings are set in place close to the seabed at depths ranging from 300 to 2,500 m, for periods of 1-2 years before recovery (for maintenance and calibration) and re-deployment, by scientific teams and/ or hydrographic services of participating countries. The dozen of stations already in operation, or scheduled to be deployed soon, are indicated on the map below.

 

Recent papers stemming from the CIESM Hydrochanges Program

  • Millot C. and Garcia-Lafuente J., 2011. About the seasonal and fortnightly variabilities of the Mediterranean outflow. Ocean Sci., 7: 421-428, doi:10.5194/os-7-421-2011. Download the file in pdf format - 1,73 Mo.
  • Schroeder K., Cardin V., Font J., Fuda J., Garcia Lafuente J., Puig P., Taupier-Letage I. and others, 2010. HYDROCHANGES network: latest observations and links between time series. Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer Medit., 39: 180. Venice, May 2010. Download the file in pdf format - 117 Ko.
  • Millot C., 2009. Another description of the Mediterranean Sea outflow. Progr. Oceanogr., 82: 101-124. Download the file in pdf format - 3, 98 Mo.
  • Millot C., 2007. Interannual salinification of the Mediterranean inflow. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L21609, doi:10.1029/2007GL031179. Download the file in pdf format - 580 Ko.
  • García Lafuente J., Sánchez Román A., Díaz del Río G., Sannino G. and Sánchez Garrido J.C., 2007. Recent observations of seasonal variability of the Mediterranean outflow in the Strait of Gibraltar. J. Geophys. Res.12, C10005, doi:10.1029/
    2006JC003992. Download the file in pdf format - 502 Ko.
  • Font J., Puig P., Salat J., Palanques A. and Emelianov M., 2007. Sequence of hydrographic changes in NW Mediterranean deep water due to the exceptional winter of 2005. Sci. Mar., 71(2): 339-346.
    See http://www.icm.csic.es/scimar/index.php/secId/6/IdNum/2/
  • Fuda J.-L., Font J., García Lafuente J., Gasparini G.P., Millot C. and Others. 2007.  Hydrochanges: first results and perspectives. Rapp. Comm. Int. Médit. 38, p. 27. Download the file in pdf format - 149 Ko.
  • Millot C., Fuda J.-L., Candela J., Tber Y., and Rougier G., 2007. Hydrochanges at Gibraltar. Rapp. Comm. Int. Médit. 38, p. 172. Download the file in pdf format - 185 Ko.
  • Millot C., Fuda J.-L., Candela J. and Tber Y., 2006. Large warming and salinification of the Mediterranean outflow due to changes in its composition, Deep Sea Research I, pp. 656-666 . Download the file in pdf format - 1,17 Mo.

Early stages of Program

  • Round-table during the 37th CIESM Congress (Barcelona, June 2004): presentation of the first results from the Gibraltar time series (see report).
  • First deployment of a station (Gibraltar: January 2003 to April 2004).
  • Workshop (Monaco, 22-24 April, 2002): elaboration of an experimental plan and production of the CIESM Workshop Monograph n°16.
  • Round-table during the 36th CIESM Congress (Monte Carlo, September 2001): development of a dedicated strategy.

List of participants:

          M. Astraldi and G.P. Gasparini   (CNR-La Spezia, Italy)
          G. Budillon   (DiSAm, Naples, Italy)
          V. Cardin   (OGS-Trieste, Italy)
          J. Font   (CMIMA/CSIC-Barcelona, Spain)
          J. Lopez-Cruzado   (IEO-Palma, Spain)
          C. Millot, J.L. Fuda and G. Rougier   (LOB-COM/CNRS-La Seyne, France)
          C. Sammari/ S. Ben Ismail   (INSTM-Tunis, Tunisia)
          A. Theocharis   (HCMR, Athens)