Ocean Circulation Modulating the Nutricline at Regional and Fine scales: A Case Study in The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: In oligotrophic regions like the Mediterranean Sea, vertical nutrient distribution plays a key role in controlling primary production via upward fluxes. In spring 2023, the BioSWOT-Med campaign explored how fine-scale ocean dynamics modulate nutrient availability in the North Balearic Front. Combining SWOT satellite observations with targeted Lagrangian sampling, the study focused on a 50 km domain encompassing contrasting water masses at and across the front, and a fine-scale anticyclonic eddy embedded within southern waters. High-resolution nutrient profiles revealed a clear two-level structure: at the regional scale, northern waters showed shallower nutriclines and steeper vertical nutrient gradients; at finer scale, the anticyclonic eddy exhibited even deeper clines and weaker gradients compared to its surroundings. A local relation between SWOT sea surface height and the nutricline highlighted the coupling between physical fine-scale structures and nutrient dynamics, with further implications for un- derstanding nutrient supply and biogeochemical functioning in oligotrophic marine sys- tems.
Institutions: Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie, Aix-Marseille Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4416965060