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| Titel |
Spatiotemporal variability of alkalinity in the Mediterranean Sea |
| VerfasserIn |
G. Cossarini, P. Lazzari, C. Solidoro |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1726-4170
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Biogeosciences ; 12, no. 6 ; Nr. 12, no. 6 (2015-03-16), S.1647-1658 |
| Datensatznummer |
250117859
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/bg-12-1647-2015.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The paper provides a basin-scale assessment of the spatiotemporal distribution of
alkalinity in the Mediterranean Sea. The assessment is made by integrating
the available observations into a 3-D transport–biogeochemical model.
The results indicate the presence of complex spatial patterns: a marked
west-to-east surface gradient of alkalinity is coupled to secondary negative
gradients: (1) from marginal seas (Adriatic and Aegean Sea) to the eastern
Mediterranean Sea and (2) from north to south in the western region. The
west–east gradient is related to the mixing of Atlantic water entering
from the Strait of Gibraltar with the high-alkaline water of the eastern
sub-basins, which is correlated to the positive surface flux of evaporation
minus precipitation. The north-to-south gradients are related to the
terrestrial input and to the input of the Black Sea water through the Dardanelles.
In the surface layers, alkalinity has a relevant seasonal cycle (up to 40 μmol kg−1) that is driven by physical processes (seasonal cycle
of evaporation and vertical mixing) and, to a minor extent, by
biological processes. A comparison of alkalinity vs. salinity indicates that
different regions present different relationships: in regions of freshwater
influence, the two quantities are negatively correlated due to riverine
alkalinity input, whereas they are positively correlated in open sea areas
of the Mediterranean Sea. |
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