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Water Masses in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: An Analysis of Measured Isotopic Oxygen

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Abstract

We investigate aspects of the water mass structure of the Adriatic and Ionian basins (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) and their interdecadal variability through statistical analyses focused on δ18Ο measurements carried out in 1985, 1990, and 2011. In particular, the more recent δ18Ο measurements extend throughout the entire water column and constitute, to the best of our knowledge, the largest synoptic dataset encompassing different sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea. We study the statistical linkages between temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and δ18Ο. We find that δ18Ο is largely independent from the other parameters, and it can be used to trace major water masses that are typically found in the basins, including the Adriatic Dense Water, the Levantine Intermediate Water, and the Cretan Intermediate and Dense Waters. Finally, we explore the possibility of using δ18Ο concentration as a proxy for dominant modes of large-scale oceanic variability in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the RITMARE Flagship Project of M.I.U.R., Italy (U.O. SP4_LI4_WP1_UO06_D01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DAIS - University Ca’Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy

    Paola de Ruggiero, Davide Zanchettin, Barbara Stenni & Angelo Rubino

  2. OGS - Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    Manuel Bensi

  3. University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Dagmar Hainbucher

  4. University “Parthenope” of Naples, Naples, Italy

    Stefano Pierini

  5. CoNISMa, Rome, Italy

    Stefano Pierini

Authors
  1. Paola de Ruggiero
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  2. Davide Zanchettin
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  3. Manuel Bensi
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  4. Dagmar Hainbucher
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  5. Barbara Stenni
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  6. Stefano Pierini
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  7. Angelo Rubino
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Correspondence to Paola de Ruggiero.

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de Ruggiero, P., Zanchettin, D., Bensi, M. et al. Water Masses in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: An Analysis of Measured Isotopic Oxygen. Pure Appl. Geophys. 175, 4047–4064 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-018-1850-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-018-1850-9

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