Anomalous 2022 deep water formation and intense bloom event in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea
- 1Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS, Italy
- 2Ocean Modeling and Data Assimilation Division, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo ui Cambiamenti Climatici - CMCC, Bologna, Italy
- 33 Ocean Predictions and Applications Division, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo Sui Cambiamenti Climatici - CMCC, Lecce, Italy
Biogeochemical seasonal cycle in the Mediterranean Sea is characterized by late-winter early-
spring phytoplankton blooms driven by vertical mixing events that bring nutrients to surface
layers. Relatively intense bloom events are usually observed in areas where mixing is strong and
persistent enough to significantly impact concentration of nutrients in surface layers.
A markerlymarkedly intense bloom was forecasted in spring 2022 by the Med-MFC system, the
production center of the Copernicus Marine Service for the Mediterranean Sea, in the
southeastern basin (in the Cretan area). Thanks to the three-dimensional description of ocean
physical and biogeochemical dynamics at relatively high resolution (1/24°) provided by the
Med-MFC system, it has been possible to investigate various elements of the spring 2022 events.
In particular chlorophyll was 50% higher than usual, and patches of high chlorophyll
concentration lasted for 3/4 weeks. Comparison with satellite observations confirmed the notable
event and its anomaly with respect to past bloom events in the area. In this work, we investigate
the processes occurring in the area in spring 2022 using physical and biogeochemical Med-MFC
products as well as available observations. Results show that the spring 2022 event is particularly
strong with respect to climatology of the area and provide indications on the relationship
between the bloom and the forcing physical processes, e.g., water mass formation and mixing.
Moreover, it has been demonstrated the Med-MFC system capability to monitor in a real time
framework ocean health conditions and extreme marine events in the southeastern
Mediterranean.
How to cite: Teruzzi, A., Aydogdu, A., Amadio, C., Cossarini, G., Feudale, L., Grandi, A., Miraglio, P., Pistoia, J., and Salon, S.: Anomalous 2022 deep water formation and intense bloom event in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-5442, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-5442, 2023.
