INTERMEDIATE WATER FORMATION IN THE LIGURIAN SEA

Observations carried out in the Ligurian Sea in February 1969 during t he MedOc experiment permitted the identification of a dense water form ation episode. A new experiment was conducted in the same area during 1991 in the framework of the PRIMO programme. Water temperature, salin ity and vertical velocities were measured using a CTD probe and ADCPs. The data have shown the formation of dense water with temperature and salinity properties significantly different from those found during t he MedOc experiment. In 1969, strong cold winds caused the mixing and cooling of the water column to a depth of 1200 m. In 1991, the surface forcings were not strong enough to erode the stratification from the surface to the bottom, and the dense water formed found its equilibriu m depth at an intermediate level. The differences between the 1969 and 1991 events are discussed as part of a more general interannual varia bility observed in the Ligurian Sea.