1. Practical Exercise: Rhodes Gyre Campaign
FINEMED 2017
“Preparing next generation fine scale experiments in the Mediterranean sea”
Practical Exercise: Rhodes Gyre Campaign
Phd Student’s Team:
Néstor Aldea Ramos
Artemis Ioannou
Roy Hourany
Elif Yilmaz
Onur Karakus

2. Motivation & Regional context
Eastern Mediterranean Sea:
dominated by complex dynamics - large robust mesoscale features
few campaigns in order to identify mean circulation patterns
POEM group
LIWEX group
our focus is on the Rhodes Gyre IE PE
Marullo et.al 2003

3. Objectives\specific questions
role of Rhodes gyre in terms of dynamical and biological processes
– high productivity region
interaction with neighboring features
– Asia minor current
– Ierapetra Eddy
link with LIW intermediate water formation and their return in Western Mediterranean Sea
What are the interactions between MMJ, IG and RG?
How its location and intensity changes annually and inter-annualy?
How these changes affect the formation rate/ volume/ salinity of the LIW?
What are the effects of LIW on the biogeochemical properties of the region?
COPERNICUS - CHL

4. Campaign strategy
Step1: Rhode gyre investigation from satellite altimetry
identify variability among years (seasonality, size, intensity etc.)
identify period of deep convection - expected in spring late March
Step2: Experimental set-up
Type of Measurements needed
Moorings -> timeseries of biochemical and physical cycles in key regions
CTD > specific periods of the year for characterization of large area
drifters > atmospheric forcing influence in deep convection process
VMACP > vertical extent of structures
Glider
We want moorings timeseries -> bloom cycle biochemical and dynamical cycle
We drifters because we need atmospheric impact in the gyre + center of gyre
Gliders -> vertical profiles and stirring advantages
Moorings

5. Campaign strategy Step1: study from available satellite altimetry
identify Rhodes Gyre characteristics among years (seasonality, size, intensity etc.)
expected process of deep convection in spring late March
Step2: Experimental set-up
Type of Measurements needed
Moorings -> timeseries of biochemical and physical cycles in key regions
CTD > specific periods of the year for characterization of large area
drifters > evaluation of atmospheric forcing to the gyre deep convection
VMACP > vertical extent of structures
Glider
We want moorings timeseries -> bloom cycle biochemical and dynamical cycle
We drifters because we need atmospheric impact in the gyre + center of gyre
Gliders -> vertical profiles and stirring advantages
CTD

6. Expected outcomes fill the gap about
biochemical properties of Rhodes gyres.
processes regarding LIW
role of the atmospheric forcing in the deep convection
Publications :
moorings and gliders data will used for assessing the role of Rhodes Gyre in the formation process of Levantine Intermediate Water.
coupling of physical and biochemical data will be investigated in terms of the effects of physics on the primary production in the study area.