Premium
Seasonality of Dissolved Organic Carbon Exchange Across the Strait of Gibraltar
Author(s) -
ÁlvarezSalgado X. A.,
Otero J.,
Flecha S.,
Huertas I. E.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl089601
Subject(s) - dissolved organic carbon , mediterranean climate , seasonality , biogeochemistry , oceanography , environmental science , total organic carbon , water mass , mediterranean sea , surface water , geology , climatology , chemistry , ecology , environmental chemistry , biology , environmental engineering
Exchange of mass, heat, and solutes across the Strait of Gibraltar is fundamental to understand the circulation and biogeochemistry of the Mediterranean. Here we focus on the exchange of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using data from 12 surveys conducted between 2008 and 2015. DOC exchange exhibits a marked bimodal distribution with minima in late June and late October and maxima in mid‐April and late August. This pattern is mainly due to seasonal variation of the DOC gradient between the Atlantic Surface Water entering the Mediterranean and the deep opposite flow of Mediterranean Overflow Water. The gradient is controlled by the different seasonal cycles followed by the DOC in the two layers. Annual average DOC import from the Atlantic is equivalent to 4.2 ± 1.5 Tg C yr −1 , which represents 53% of the external DOC inputs and contributes to support 32% of the net heterotrophy of the Mediterranean.