RECENT ADVANCES ON MESOSCALE VARIABILITY IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN: COMPLEMENTARITY BETWEEN ALTIMETRY AND OTHER SENSORS

摘要

In this study we review recent advances on mesoscale variability as a result of the synergy between satellite altimetry and other observational platforms. We focus on the Western Mediterranean Sea, where the circulation is rather complex due to the presence of multiple interacting scales, including basin, sub-basin scale and mesoscale structures. The challenges of characterizing these processes imply therefore precise and high-resolution samplings in addition to multisensor approaches. Accordingly, intensive experiments have been designed and carried out in the different subbasins of the Western Mediterranean. These experiments, which have combined different observing systems at a wide range of spatial/temporal scales, have contributed to enhance our understanding of mesoscale variability.