Extreme Weather Affecting Sea Chlorophyll: The Case of a Medicane

Abstract

Sea surface chlorophyll concentrations are indicative of phytoplankton growth and can be impacted by extreme weather events. Hurricanes and typhoons have been widely studied for such an influence on the marine environment; chlorophyll increases and even phytoplankton blooms have been reported. In this study, a tropical-like Mediterranean cyclone, the medicane Ianos of September 2020, that affected a large oligotrophic area of the Ionian Sea, is examined from this perspective. A numerical model and satellite data were used for delineating the study area and assessing chlorophyll variations, respectively. On a smaller geographical scale in respect to tropical cyclones, the medicane-triggered chlorophyll increases comparable to those of hurricanes when affecting oligotrophic open sea waters.

Keywords

• medicane Ianos
• sea surface temperature
• satellite data
• Ionian Sea
• oligotrophic waters
• tropical-like cyclones