Sea surface transport in the Western Mediterranean Sea: a Lagrangian perspective

We study the sea surface transport in the Western Mediterranean Sea from a Lagrangian point of view, in particular the Alboran and the North-Western sub-basins. The study is carried out through the analysis of three years of surface velocity model data through Finite Size Lyapunov Exponents, Residence Time and virtual particle trajectories complementing the classical Eulerian approach. The spatiotemporal variability ofthe main transport processes are inferred from the Empirical Orthogonal Function modes of the Lyapunov Exponents, being the most relevant modes discussed and physically interpreted. Results indicate that some of the variability in the surface transport patterns in the Western Mediterranean can be explained by specic modes which provide an indication of connectivity among sub-basins, like the inflow of Atlantic waters through the Ibiza Channel.