Surface heat and water fluxes in the Adriatic Sea: Seasonal and internanual variability

Abstract Adriatic Sea surface heat and water fluxes for the period 1991–1994 have been computed from the ECMWF (European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast) operational analyses data. The obtained surface heat flux climatology is in good agreement with previous estimates, while the surface water flux climatology reveals an higher fresh water loss with respect to the known values. Our results reveal important interannual variations in the magnitude and the sign of the heat budget. In particular, the heat budget for the year 1994 is positive, in contrast with the long term mean negative heat flux estimates. Implications connected with the Adriatic Sea thermohaline circulation are discussed.

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