Mediterranean Surface Currents Measured with Drifters: From Basin to Subinertial Scales

Abstract

Drifter observations in the Mediterranean Sea between 1986 and 2012 have allowed study of important aspects of the surface dynamics in most areas of this marginal sea, including: interannual and seasonal variabilities; basin, subbasin, and mesoscale circulation features; inertial and tidal currents; coastal circulation; and relative dispersion by surface waters. This paper reviews selected important studies, carried out in the last two decades or still in progress, that used or are using Mediterranean drifter observations and ancillary remotely sensed observations (satellite altimetry and high-frequency coastal radars).

Keywords

• drfters
• Mediterranean Sea oceanography
• surface dynamics