Climatic changes in the Aegean Sea influence the Eastern Mediterranean thermohaline circulation (1986-1997)

Recent changes of water mass characteristics in the south Aegean Sea have c onsiderably influenced the Eastern Mediterranean thermohaline circulation. A combination of salinity increase (1987-92) and temperature drop (1992-94) caused massive dense water formation and strong outflow towards the deep a nd bottom parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. This climatic shift, the most important since the existence of observations in the basin, is a combined effect of extreme meteorological events superimposed on large-scale trends. It has initiated a series of modifications in the hydrology and dynamics o f the entire Eastern Mediterranean, with possible influence on the Mediterr anean outflow in the North Atlantic Ocean.