the eastern basin (Somot et al. 2006; Adloff et al. 2015). Changes in thermohaline
circulation can profoundly affect the biogeochemistry of the Mediterranean Sea
(Powley et al. 2018) and through an increase of stratification (Herrmann et al.
2014; Adloff et al. 2015) may reduce the nutrient supply into the euphotic layer
with consequences for phytoplankton blooms (D’Ortenzio and Ribera d’Alcalà
2009; Herrmann et al. 2013).
Potential effects of the climatic scenario have also been described for the Alboran
Sea circulation (Macías et al. 2018), and for the upwelling in the NW of Alboran Sea,
strongly influenced by the Atlantic water entering through the Strait of Gibraltar and
that could be affected by a generalized slowdown of the thermohaline circulation
(Macías et al. 2014a).
Mediterranean Sea phosphate and nitrate concentrations seem to be more dependent on atmospheric and terrestrial inputs than on the Atlantic influx across the Strait
of Gibraltar (Béthoux et al. 1998; Ribera d’Alcalà et al. 2003; Durrieu de Madron
et al. 2011). Since the beginning of the industrial era, there has been an overall
increase in atmospheric deposition (Duce et al. 2008) that might be higher in the
coming years. These changes coupled with the expected decrease in winter mixed
layer depth, could result in changes in the relative availability of nutrients, and
increase the relative importance of atmospheric inputs in the Mediterranean Sea.
Expected consequences are an imbalance between nitrate and phosphate concentrations in surface waters, causing changes in the phytoplankton populations and in the
entire food web (Pasqueron 2015).
Acknowledgments This study has been conducted using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. We are grateful to OGS (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale) for
providing the data of the average vertical profiles (annual climatologies) of nutrients and dissolved
oxygen, and the average seasonal vertical profiles (seasonal climatologies) of chlorophyll-a for the
Alboran Sea (Manca et al. 2004) (Source: Data and metadata are provided by the Italian National
Oceanographic Data Center of the OGS Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica
Sperimentale (NODC/OGS), acting within the International Oceanographic Data Exchange System
of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) since 27/6/2002). We thank
Dr. Juan Pérez de Rubín (Instituto Español de Oceanografía, IEO) for providing the nutrient data
collected during the IctioAlboran0793 survey.
References
Adloff F, Somot S, Sevault F et al (2015) Mediterranean Sea response to climate change in an
ensemble of twenty first century scenarios. Clim Dyn 45(9–10):2775–2802
Akhtar N, Brauch J, Ahrens B (2018) Climate modeling over the Mediterranean Sea: impact of
resolution and ocean coupling. Clim Dyn 51(3):933–948
Álvarez M, Sanleón-Bartolomé H, Tanhua T et al (2014) The CO2 system in the Mediterranean
Sea: a basin wide perspective. Ocean Sci 10:69–92
Antoine D, Morel A, André J-M (1995) Algal pigment distribution and primary production in the
eastern Mediterranean as derived from coastal zone color scanner observations. J Geophys Res
100(C8):16193–16209
238
T. Ramírez et al.
circulation can profoundly affect the biogeochemistry of the Mediterranean Sea
(Powley et al. 2018) and through an increase of stratification (Herrmann et al.
2014; Adloff et al. 2015) may reduce the nutrient supply into the euphotic layer
with consequences for phytoplankton blooms (D’Ortenzio and Ribera d’Alcalà
2009; Herrmann et al. 2013).
Potential effects of the climatic scenario have also been described for the Alboran
Sea circulation (Macías et al. 2018), and for the upwelling in the NW of Alboran Sea,
strongly influenced by the Atlantic water entering through the Strait of Gibraltar and
that could be affected by a generalized slowdown of the thermohaline circulation
(Macías et al. 2014a).
Mediterranean Sea phosphate and nitrate concentrations seem to be more dependent on atmospheric and terrestrial inputs than on the Atlantic influx across the Strait
of Gibraltar (Béthoux et al. 1998; Ribera d’Alcalà et al. 2003; Durrieu de Madron
et al. 2011). Since the beginning of the industrial era, there has been an overall
increase in atmospheric deposition (Duce et al. 2008) that might be higher in the
coming years. These changes coupled with the expected decrease in winter mixed
layer depth, could result in changes in the relative availability of nutrients, and
increase the relative importance of atmospheric inputs in the Mediterranean Sea.
Expected consequences are an imbalance between nitrate and phosphate concentrations in surface waters, causing changes in the phytoplankton populations and in the
entire food web (Pasqueron 2015).
Acknowledgments This study has been conducted using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. We are grateful to OGS (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale) for
providing the data of the average vertical profiles (annual climatologies) of nutrients and dissolved
oxygen, and the average seasonal vertical profiles (seasonal climatologies) of chlorophyll-a for the
Alboran Sea (Manca et al. 2004) (Source: Data and metadata are provided by the Italian National
Oceanographic Data Center of the OGS Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica
Sperimentale (NODC/OGS), acting within the International Oceanographic Data Exchange System
of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) since 27/6/2002). We thank
Dr. Juan Pérez de Rubín (Instituto Español de Oceanografía, IEO) for providing the nutrient data
collected during the IctioAlboran0793 survey.
References
Adloff F, Somot S, Sevault F et al (2015) Mediterranean Sea response to climate change in an
ensemble of twenty first century scenarios. Clim Dyn 45(9–10):2775–2802
Akhtar N, Brauch J, Ahrens B (2018) Climate modeling over the Mediterranean Sea: impact of
resolution and ocean coupling. Clim Dyn 51(3):933–948
Álvarez M, Sanleón-Bartolomé H, Tanhua T et al (2014) The CO2 system in the Mediterranean
Sea: a basin wide perspective. Ocean Sci 10:69–92
Antoine D, Morel A, André J-M (1995) Algal pigment distribution and primary production in the
eastern Mediterranean as derived from coastal zone color scanner observations. J Geophys Res
100(C8):16193–16209
238
T. Ramírez et al.