The Sensitivity of Middle East Precipitation and Cloud Forecasts to Changes in Eastern Mediterranean Sea Surface Temperatures

Abstract. To assess sources and major processes controlling vertical transport of both anthropogenic and natural chemical species in deep basins of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (SE Ionian Sea, Nestor site), we performed chemical characterization (elemental carbon, major and trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) of marine sinking particles. Sediment traps were deployed at five successive depths, 700 m, 1200 m, 2000 m, 3200 m and 4300 m from the sea surface, during the period of May 2007 to October 2008. Fluxes of all measured species exhibited minimum values from January to March 2008 and maximum from April to September 2008, with an evident covariance revealing a common and rapid vertical transport mechanism from 700 m down to 4300 m depth. Crustal matter flux from atmospheric deposition plays an important role in the temporal variability of particulate matter with significant contribution from biogenic constituents namely the seasonal succession in the export of planktonic biomass, expressed by particulate organic carbon (POC), carbonates and biogenic Si fluxes (Stavrakakis et al., 2012). Tracers (elemental carbon, retene) of the devastating forest fires occurred in August 2007 in southern Greece, were detected at sediment trap material in all depths with a delay of 15 days at 4300 m, indicating a rapid and well-coupled transport of sinking particulate material between the sea-surface and deep layers of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Lateral inputs of pollutants at the deepest trap (4300 m) are probably of importance, due to the influence of deep Adriatic water at the study site.

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Aerosol optical properties at seven AERONET sites over Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117884 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 243 ◽

pp. 117884 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xiaofeng Xu ◽

Lifeng Xie ◽

Xiaoyue Yang ◽

Hao Wu ◽

Letian Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Properties ◽

Middle East ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Aerosol Optical Properties ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Sea

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Regional Mean Sea Surface Model over the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-312 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Milaa Murshan ◽

Balaji Devaraju ◽

Nagarajan Balasubramanium ◽

Onkar Dikshit

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Sea Level ◽

Tide Gauge ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Surface Model ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Sea ◽

Mean Sea Level ◽

Mean Sea Surface

<p>The Mean Sea Level is not an equipotential surface because it is subject to several variations, e.g., the tides, currents, winds, etc. Mean Sea Level can be measured either by tide gauges near to coastlines relative to local datum or by satellite altimeter above the reference ellipsoid. From this observable quantity, one can derive a non-observable quantity at which the potential is constant called geoid and differs from mean sea surface by amount of &#177;1 m. This separation is called Sea Surface Topography. In this research, the data of nine altimetric Exact Repeat Missions (Envisat, ERS_1 of 35 days (phase C and G), ERS_2, GFO, Jason_1, Jason_2, Jason_3, Topex/Poseidon and SARAL) were used for computing the regional mean sea surface model over the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The data of all missions together span approximately 25 years from September -1992 to January-2017 and referenced to Topex ellipsoid.&#160; Which is later transformed to WGS84 ellipsoid, as it is chosen to be a unified datum in this study. Prior to computing the altimetric MSS,&#160; altimetric sea surface height measurements were validated&#160; by comparing&#160; time series of altimetric-MSL with mean sea level time series calculated from three in-situ tide gauge measurements.&#160; The sea surface heights values of the derived MSS model is between 15.6 and 26.7 m. And the linear trend slope is between -3.02 to 6.53 mm/year.</p><p>Keywords: Mean Sea Level, Satellite Altimetry, Tide Gauge, Exact Repeat Missions</p>

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Microbial community genomics in eastern Mediterranean Sea surface waters

The ISME Journal ◽

10.1038/ismej.2009.92 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 78-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Roi Feingersch ◽

Marcelino T Suzuki ◽

Michael Shmoish ◽

Itai Sharon ◽

Gazalah Sabehi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Sea

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Cooling Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures during the Late Miocene provide a climate context for evolutionary transitions in Africa and Eurasia

Earth and Planetary Science Letters ◽

10.1016/j.epsl.2015.03.016 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 419 ◽

pp. 71-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Alexandrina Tzanova ◽

Timothy D. Herbert ◽

Laura Peterson

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Late Miocene ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Sea Surface Temperatures ◽

Evolutionary Transitions ◽

Surface Temperatures

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Evolution of Mediterranean sea surface temperatures 3.5–1.5 Ma: Regional and hemispheric influences

Earth and Planetary Science Letters ◽

10.1016/j.epsl.2014.10.006 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 409 ◽

pp. 307-318 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Timothy D. Herbert ◽

Gideon Ng ◽

Laura Cleaveland Peterson

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Sea Surface Temperatures ◽

Surface Temperatures

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Chlorophyll in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Correlations with Environmental Factors and Trends

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments6080098 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 98 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dionysia Kotta ◽

Dimitra Kitsiou

Keyword(s):

Wind Speed ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Surface Temperature ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Sea Level ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Sea Level Pressure ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Sea ◽

Mean Sea Level

The research on marine chlorophyll concentrations, as indicators of phytoplankton abundance, their relations with environmental parameters, and their trends is of global interest. It is also crucial when referring to oligotrophic environments where maintenance or increase in primary production is vital. The present study focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea that is in general oligotrophic. Its primary goal is to explore possible relations between surface chlorophyll-a concentrations and environmental factors. The involved parameters are the sea surface temperature, the wind speed, the wave height, the precipitation, and the mean sea level pressure; their relation with chlorophyll is assessed through the calculation of the relevant correlation coefficients, based on monthly satellite-derived and numerical model data for the period 1998–2016. The results show that chlorophyll relates inversely with sea surface temperature; in general positively with wind speed and wave height; positively, although weaker, with precipitation; and negatively, but area and season limited, with mean sea level pressure. These correlations are stronger over the open southern part of the study area and strongly dependent on the season. A secondary aim of the study is the estimation of chlorophyll trends for the same time interval, which is performed separately for the low and the high production periods. The statistically significant results reveal only increasing local chlorophyll trends that, for each period, mainly characterize the eastern and the western part of the area, respectively.

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