Water exchange between the eastern and western Mediterranean through the strait of Sicily

Abstract The water exchange between the two main basins of the Mediterranean Sea was examined using data gathered in the Strait of Sicily during November 1985 to June 1986. The main patterns of the surface corculation consisted of meanders and haline fronts south of Sicily. Both surface Atlantic Water and Levantine Intermediate Water formed detached parcels during the summer period, while during winter they spread approximately from the African to the Sicilian shelves. We observed a seasonality in the salinity of the Atlantic Water as well as in the transport of both Atlantic and Levantine waters. The fluxes computed for the summer period were of the same order as those found in the literature; those of the winter period were nearly twice as great. The summer efflux, however, consisted of less dense water than suggested in previous works. Inside the Strait of Sicily the characteristics of the Levantine Water did not show any seasonal variability, a fact that can be explained by a continuous input of Levantine Water with consistent properties.