RT journal article
T1 Dynamics of Atmospheric-Driven Surface Currents on The Gulf of Cadiz Continental Shelf and its link with The Strait of Gibraltar and The Western Alboran Sea.
A1 Sirviente Alonso, Sara
A1 Bolado Penagos, Marina
A1 Gomiz Pascual, Juan Jesús
A1 Romero Cózar, Jeanette
A1 Vázquez López-Escobar, Águeda
A1 Bruno Mejías, Miguel
A2 Física Aplicada
K1 Oceanography
K1 Atmospheric-Driven Surface Currents
K1 Strait of Gibraltar
K1 Alboran Sea
AB Several studies about the coastal circulation over the continental shelf of the Gulf of Cadiz have been published in the last twenty years. One of the most studiedfeatures in these papers are the so-called Coastal Counter Currents (CCCs) which are located roughly between the 100 m isobath and the coastline and are directedwestwards. Despite the considerable number of articles devoted to the analysis of this phenomenon, the actual along-coast extension and origin of these CCCscurrently remain unclear.In the present study, different mechanisms are proposed to explain the development of these CCCs. They have been revised and discussed taking into account thelatest findings from a recent analysis that utilized surface currents derived from High Frequency Radar (HFR) as well as numerical model simulations. The mostinteresting finding is that the most intense CCCs events are initiated on the coastal margin of the westernmost side of the Strait of Gibraltar, and they are extendedfurther west of Cape Santa Maria. Furthermore, these intense and extensive CCCs seem to be triggered by the joint action of local winds over the Gulf of Cadiz andadditional remote effects which are coming from (i) the wind forcing over the Alboran Sea and the easternmost side of the Strait of Gibraltar, and (ii) the Sea LevelAtmospheric Pressure forcing over the Ligurian Sea (western Mediterranean Sea). In addition, the same forcing mechanisms are valid to explain the eastwardintensification of the coastal currents.The most relevant feature of the hydrodynamic pattern originated by this combination of forcing agents is its quasi-geostrophic adjustment against the coast in thewhole spatial dominion. In addition, these results offer a clear example of how important the effects of forcing in rather remote regions may be in defining thehydrodynamic patterns of certain oceanographic regions.
PB Elsevier
SN 0079-6611
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35144
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35144
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 13-nov-2026