Buoyant Outflows in the Presence of Complex Topography
Abstract
The overarching goal is to elucidate the complex dynamics of outflows connecting basins through straits. The long term scientific goals are to (a) understand the physical mechanisms that control the exchange between two marginal seas with substantially different water mass characteristics (Aegean Sea and Black Sea) through a complex system of straits (Turkish Straits System); (b) quantify the pathways of the buoyant outflow and evaluate the influence on the dynamics of the receiving coastal areas, as well as on the Mediterranean Sea at large. The long term operational goal is to develop a high resolution numerical model of the Northern Aegean Sea, an island archipelago with intensely complex topography, nested within a coarser Mediterranean Sea model and coupled to a high resolution, unstructured grid model of the Turkish Straits system, which in itself will be coupled to a Black Sea model. The overall study goals are closely linked to several ancillary projects. The main scientific objectives are to: a) provide new insights in the understanding of plume dynamics, analyzing the development of a plume that is generated by a buoyant outflow through a narrow strait (Dardanelles) and its evolution through a topographically complex marginal sea; b) examine the relative role of buoyancy, wind stress and topography in determining the seasonal and inter-annual variability in the development and evolution of the Dardanelles plume; c) quantify the transport rates and pathways of the low-salinity waters of Black Sea origin that enter the Aegean Sea (and hence the Mediterranean) through the Dardanelles Strait; d) study the influence of the flow exchange through the Dardanelles Strait on the Aegean Sea coastal flows, cross-shelf exchanges and basin-wide eddy field.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA526974
Entities
People
- Vassiliki H. Kourafalou
Organizations
- University of Miami