Deep Water Mass Circulation in the Western Alboran Basin: Measurements in July and September 1980 (Alboran I Experiment),
Abstract
The deep circulation of the Alboran Sea has been studied in a set of experiments. Two currentmeter moorings were deployed in the area. The currents at the northern site were very slow (average approx. 1 cm/s) and correlation between currents at 300 m and 800 m was poor. The currents over the Moroccan continental slope were faster (average of 2.7 cm/s), with a prevailing flow along the slope towards Gibraltar. To test an assumption that the geostrophic current is faster along the Moroccan continental slope, three floating vertical currentmeters were released and acoustically tracked for several days. This revealed that the current is faster in that area and that it accelerates towards Gibraltar. CTD and STD data showed an upward bending of isolines towards the Moroccan continental slope. Contours of salinity and potential temperature probably show the meandering upper-layer structure and not the fully developed anticyclonic gyre. Rotary spectra and autospectra of the low-frequency current velocity data show significant peaks around 2, 3, and perhaps 14 days.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 15, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA148566
Entities
People
- P. Pistek
Organizations
- SACLANT ASW Research Centre