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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on June 8, 2009
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2009 66(9):1853-1864; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsp156
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© 2009 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

River plume fronts off NW Iberia from satellite observations and model data

P. Otero1, M. Ruiz-Villarreal1 and Á. Peliz2

1 Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Paseo Marítimo Alcalde Francisco Vázquez, 10, 15001 A Coruña, Spain
2 Instituto de Oceanografía, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal

Correspondence to P. Otero: tel: +34 981 205362; fax: +34 981 229077; e-mail: pablo.otero{at}co.ieo.es

Otero, P., Ruiz-Villarreal, M., and Peliz, Á. 2009. River plume fronts off NW Iberia from satellite observations and model data. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1853–1864.

River plume fronts off NW Iberia during autumn 2002 are examined based on the gradient of the mixed layer depth (MLD) in three-dimensional model data and on sea surface temperature gradients in Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery. The method reveals new aspects of the dynamics of fronts in the area. The strong gradient of the MLD between the plume and the adjacent ocean serves as a physical indicator of the maximum extension of the river plume and takes into account its three-dimensional structure as well as its surface signal. Differences in the position of river plume fronts are associated with local upwelling/downwelling conditions and their relaxation. During expansions of the plume induced by upwelling in late autumn, the shallower plume waters become colder and the thermal gradient with offshore waters increases. The model simulation also illustrates the existence of instabilities at the plume front and cross-shore variations in plume width that could induce the appearance of thermal gradients which can be resolved with AVHRR. Our simulations also show regional differences in front location, structure, and probability north (Galicia) and south (north Portugal) on the shelf, where bathymetry differs in shape and depth.

Keywords: AVHRR, coastal processes, front detection, numerical modelling, river plumes, thermal fronts, west and northwest Iberia

Received 12 February 2009; accepted 23 April 2009; advance access publication 8 June 2009.


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