PROGRESS FROM 1989 TO 1992 IN UNDERSTANDING THE CIRCULATION OF THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN-SEA

The present paper describes the major results obtained from 1989 to 19 92 by the EUROMODEL group in studying the circulation in the Western M editerranean Sea. Particular emphasis has been given to the physical p rocesses responsible for seasonal and mesoscale variabilities. Observa tions (in situ and satellite), together with theoretical, physical and numerical models, have been widely used in the course of these studie s. Attention has been focused on the dynamics of the northern basin (d eep water formation, dynamics of the Northern Mediterranean Current, c irculation and shelf/slope interaction in the Balearic Sea) and of the southern basin (Alboran Sea circulation, instabilities of the Algeria n Current). The straits dynamics have been studied with particular ref erence to the Corsica channel. Preliminary runs of a basin-scale circu lation model of the Western Mediterranean Sea forced by the straits ar e also presented. They are shown to be capable of generating a cycloni c circulation in the western basin.