Mediterranean Sea climatic indices: Monitoring long-term variability and climate changes

[en] We present a new product composed of a set of thermohaline climatic indices from 1950 to 2015 for the Mediterranean Sea such as decadal temperature and salinity anomalies, their mean values over selected depths, decadal ocean heat and salt content anomalies at selected depth layers as well as their long time series. It is produced from a new high-resolution climatology of temperature and salinity on a 1=8 regular grid based on historical high-quality in situ observations. Ocean heat and salt content differences between 1980-2015 and 1950-1979 are compared for evaluation of the climate shift in the Mediterranean Sea. The two successive periods are chosen according to the standard WMO climate normals. The spatial patterns of heat and salt content shifts demonstrate that the climate changes differently in the several regions of the basin. Long time series of heat and salt content for the period 1950 to 2015 are also provided which indicate that in the Mediterranean Sea there is a net mean volume warming and salinification since 1950 that has accelerated during the last two decades. The time series also show that the ocean heat content seems to fluctuate on a cycle of about 40 years and seems to follow the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation climate cycle, indicating that the natural large-scale atmospheric variability could be superimposed onto the warming trend. This product is an observation-based estimation of the Mediterranean climatic indices. It relies solely on spatially interpolated data produced from in situ observations averaged over decades in order to smooth the decadal variability and reveal the long-term trends. It can provide a valuable contribution to the modellers' community, next to the satellite-based products, and serve as a baseline for the evaluation of climate-change model simulations, thus contributing to a better understanding of the complex response of the Mediterranean Sea to the ongoing global climate change. The product is available in netCDF at the following sources: annual and seasonal T =S anomalies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1408832), annual and seasonal T =S vertical averaged anomalies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1408929), annual and seasonal areal density of OHC/OSC anomalies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1408877), annual and seasonal linear trends of T =S, OHC/OSC anomalies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1408917), annual and seasonal time series of T =S, OHC/OSC anomalies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1411398), and differences of two 30-year averages of annual and seasonal T =S, OHC/OSC anomalies (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1408903). © Author(s) 2018.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Iona, A.; Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic National Oceanographic Data Centre, 46, 7 km Athens Sounio, Mavro Lithari, Anavissos-Attica, 19013, Greece, University of Thessaly, Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, Laboratory of Oceanography, Fytoko Street, Nea Ionia Magnesia, 38445, Greece

Theodorou, A.; University of Thessaly, Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, Laboratory of Oceanography, Fytoko Street, Nea Ionia Magnesia, 38445, Greece

Sofianos, S.; Ocean Physics and Modelling Group, Division of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, University of Athens, University Campus, Phys-5, Athens, 15784, Greece

Watelet, Sylvain ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > GeoHydrodynamics and Environment Research (GHER)

Troupin, Charles ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > GeoHydrodynamics and Environment Research (GHER)

Beckers, Jean-Marie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > GeoHydrodynamics and Environment Research (GHER)

Language :

English

Title :

Mediterranean Sea climatic indices: Monitoring long-term variability and climate changes

Publication date :

11 October 2018

Journal title :

Earth System Science Data

ISSN :

1866-3508

eISSN :

1866-3516

Publisher :

Copernicus GmbH

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

1829-1842

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

European Projects :

FP7 - 283607 - SEADATANET II - SeaDataNet II: Pan-European infrastructure for ocean and marine data management

Name of the research project :

026212, FP6, Sixth Framework Programme; FP6/2002–2006, FP6, Sixth Framework Programme

Funders :

CE - Commission Européenne [BE]

Available on ORBi :

since 16 November 2018

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