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Ann. Geophys., 21, 237-250, 2003
www.ann-geophys.net/21/237/2003/
© European Geosciences Union 2003
Assessing the phenomenology of the Cretan Sea shelf area using coupling modelling techniques
G. Triantafyllou1, G. Korres2, G. Petihakis1, A. Pollani1, and A. Lascaratos2
1Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, P.O.Box 2214, Iraklio, 71003 Crete, Greece
2University of Athens, Department of Applied Physics, Oceanography Group, University Campus, Bld. PHYS-V, 15 784 Athens, Greece
Abstract. In this work the ability
of nesting two hydrodynamical models, the high-resolution Cretan Sea shelf
model and the lower resolution regional ALERMO model, was investigated. A new
database was developed by objectively analysing raw climatological data from
the MODB database enriched with in situ measurements collected by the Institute
of Marine Biology of Crete. Prior to nesting with the ALERMO model, the Cretan
Sea model was integrated using this new hydrological database, in order to
investigate the capability of the model setup to describe the phenomenology of
the Cretan Sea. Results show that the model can successfully reproduce the
complex general circulation characteristics of the area, such as the dipole of
a cyclone and an anticyclone, and the flow reversal between winter and summer.
As a next step, the shelf-model was one-way nested with the ALERMO model and
was integrated on a climatological basis. The evolution of the circulation
characteristics of the Cretan Sea was compared, qualitatively and
quantitatively, against the results of the regional model, and proved that the
nesting between the two models can provide reliable information while
overcoming at the same time the computational constraints imposed by
high-resolution models.
Key words. Oceanography: general
(continental shelf processes; numerical modelling) – Oceanography: physical
(general circulation)
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