cf6d8d19-c77a-4ed4-b1e8-498eaf57061c Copernicus Marine Service product specification CMEMS servicedesk.cmems@mercator-ocean.eu http://marine.copernicus.eu/ 2025-12-16T09:41:40.473693Z ISO 19139, MyOcean profile 0.2 2 false EPSG Mediterrranean Outflow Water Index from Reanalysis & Multi-Observations Reprocessing IBI_OMI_WMHE_mow 2018-02-12 3.4 2023-03-30 ef932fc0-04e7-4a25-b7b2-08a2d85d4039 '''DEFINITION''' Variations of the Mediterranean Outflow Water at 1000 m depth are monitored through area-averaged salinity anomalies in specifically defined boxes. The salinity data are extracted from several CMEMS products and averaged in the corresponding monitoring domain: * IBI-MYP: IBI_MULTIYEAR_PHY_005_002 * IBI-NRT: IBI_ANALYSISFORECAST_PHYS_005_001 * GLO-MYP: GLOBAL_REANALYSIS_PHY_001_030 * CORA: INSITU_GLO_TS_REP_OBSERVATIONS_013_002_b * ARMOR: MULTIOBS_GLO_PHY_TSUV_3D_MYNRT_015_012 The anomalies of salinity have been computed relative to the monthly climatology obtained from IBI-MYP. Outcomes from diverse products are combined to deliver a unique multi-product result. Multi-year products (IBI-MYP, GLO,MYP, CORA, and ARMOR) are used to show an ensemble mean and the standard deviation of members in the covered period. The IBI-NRT short-range product is not included in the ensemble, but used to provide the deterministic analysis of salinity anomalies in the most recent year. '''CONTEXT''' The Mediterranean Outflow Water is a saline and warm water mass generated from the mixing processes of the North Atlantic Central Water and the Mediterranean waters overflowing the Gibraltar sill (Daniault et al., 1994). The resulting water mass is accumulated in an area west of the Iberian Peninsula (Daniault et al., 1994) and spreads into the North Atlantic following advective pathways (Holliday et al. 2003; Lozier and Stewart 2008, de Pascual-Collar et al., 2019). The importance of the heat and salt transport promoted by the Mediterranean Outflow Water flow has implications beyond the boundaries of the Iberia-Biscay-Ireland domain (Reid 1979, Paillet et al. 1998, van Aken 2000). For example, (i) it contributes substantially to the salinity of the Norwegian Current (Reid 1979), (ii) the mixing processes with the Labrador Sea Water promotes a salt transport into the inner North Atlantic (Talley and MacCartney, 1982; van Aken, 2000), and (iii) the deep anti-cyclonic Meddies developed in the African slope is a cause of the large-scale westward penetration of Mediterranean salt (Iorga and Lozier, 1999). Several studies have demonstrated that the core of Mediterranean Outflow Water is affected by inter-annual variability. This variability is mainly caused by a shift of the MOW dominant northward-westward pathways (Bozec et al. 2011), it is correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (Bozec et al. 2011) and leads to the displacement of the boundaries of the water core (de Pascual-Collar et al., 2019). The variability of the advective pathways of MOW is an oceanographic process that conditions the destination of the Mediterranean salt transport in the North Atlantic. Therefore, monitoring the Mediterranean Outflow Water variability becomes decisive to have a proper understanding of the climate system and its evolution (e.g. Bozec et al. 2011, Pascual-Collar et al. 2019). The CMEMS IBI-OMI_WMHE_mow product is aimed to monitor the inter-annual variability of the Mediterranean Outflow Water in the North Atlantic. The objective is the establishment of a long-term monitoring program to observe the variability and trends of the Mediterranean water mass in the IBI regional seas. To do that, the salinity anomaly is monitored in key areas selected to represent the main reservoir and the three main advective spreading pathways. More details and a full scientific evaluation can be found in the CMEMS Ocean State report Pascual et al., 2018 and de Pascual-Collar et al. 2019. '''CMEMS KEY FINDINGS''' The absence of long-term trends in the monitoring domain Reservoir (b) suggests the steadiness of water mass properties involved on the formation of Mediterranean Outflow Water. Results obtained in monitoring box North (c) present an alternance of periods with positive and negative anomalies. The last negative period started in 2016 reaching up to the present. Such negative events are linked to the decrease of the northward pathway of Mediterranean Outflow Water (Bozec et al., 2011), which appears to return to steady conditions in 2020 and 2021. Results for box West (d) reveal a cycle of negative (2015-2017) and positive (2017 up to the present) anomalies. The positive anomalies of salinity in this region are correlated with an increase of the westward transport of salinity into the inner North Atlantic (de Pascual-Collar et al., 2019), which appear to be maintained for years 2020-2021. Results in monitoring boxes North and West are consistent with independent studies (Bozec et al., 2011; and de Pascual-Collar et al., 2019), suggesting a westward displacement of Mediterranean Outflow Water and the consequent contraction of the northern boundary. Note: The key findings will be updated annually in November, in line with OMI evolutions. '''DOI (product):''' https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00258 E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information IBI-NOW-MADRID-ES P0M0D0H/P0M0D0H N/A https://documentation.marine.copernicus.eu/IMG/IBI_OMI_WMHE_mow.png Oceanographic geographical features GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2009-09-22 in-situ-observation numerical-model Discipline 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.discipline.myocean.discipline Climate and Forecast Standard Names 2017-04-04 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.parameter.myocean.ocean-variables multi-year Temporal scale 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.temporal-scale.myocean.temporal-scale marine-resources weather-climate-and-seasonal-forecasting marine-safety coastal-marine-environment Area of benefit 2024-07-26 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.area-of-benefit.myocean.area-of-benefit iberian-biscay-irish-seas Reference Geographical Areas 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.reference-geographical-area.myocean.reference-geographical-area N/A Processing level 2025-12-09 geonetwork.thesaurus.local.processing-level.myocean.processing-level Not Applicable Model assimilation 2016-02-03 geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.myocean.model-assimilation See Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service Data commitments and licence at: http://marine.copernicus.eu/web/27-service-commitments-and-licence.php No limitations on public access Bozec A, Lozier MS, Chassignet EP, Halliwell GR. 2011. On the variability of the Mediterranean outflow water in the North Atlantic from 1948 to 2006. J Geophys Res 116:C09033. doi:10.1029/2011JC007191. 2019-05-08 Daniault N, Maze JP, Arhan M. 1994. Circulation and mixing of MediterraneanWater west of the Iberian Peninsula. Deep Sea Res. Part I. 41:1685–1714. 2019-05-08 de Pascual-Collar A, Sotillo MG, Levier B, Aznar R, Lorente P, Amo-Baladrón A, Álvarez-Fanjul E. 2019. Regional circulation patterns of Mediterranean Outflow Water near the Iberian and African continental slopes. Ocean Sci., 15, 565–582. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-565-2019. 2019-05-08 Holliday NP. 2003. Air-sea interaction and circulation changes in the northeast Atlantic. J Geophys Res. 108(C8):3259. doi:10.1029/2002JC001344. 2019-05-08 Iorga MC, Lozier MS. 1999. Signatures of the Mediterranean outflow from a North Atlantic climatology: 1. Salinity and density fields. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 104(C11), 25985-26009. 2019-05-08 Lozier MS, Stewart NM. 2008. On the temporally varying northward penetration of Mediterranean overflow water and eastward penetration of Labrador Sea water. J Phys Oceanogr. 38(9):2097–2103. doi:10.1175/2008JPO3908.1. 2019-05-08 Paillet J, Arhan M, McCartney M. 1998. Spreading of labrador Sea water in the eastern North Atlantic. J Geophys Res. 103 (C5):10223–10239. 2019-05-08 Pascual A, Levier B, Sotillo M, Verbrugge N, Aznar R, Le Cann B. 2018. Characterisation of Mediterranean outflow wáter in the Iberia-Gulf of Biscay-Ireland region. In: von Schuckmann, K., Le Traon, P.-Y., Smith, N., Pascual, A., Braseur, P., Fennel, K., Djavidnia, S.: Copernicus Marine Service Ocean State Report, Issue 2, Journal of Operational Oceanography, 11, sup1, s1-s142, doi:10.1080/1755876X.2018.1489208, 2018. 2019-05-08 eed415e4-30f9-4fef-94ea-6cf54c605b89 Reid JL. 1979. On the contribution of the Mediterranean Sea outflow to the Norwegian‐Greenland Sea, Deep Sea Res., Part A, 26, 1199–1223, doi:10.1016/0198-0149(79)90064-5. 2019-05-08 Talley LD, McCartney MS. 1982. Distribution and circulation of Labrador Sea water. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 12(11), 1189-1205. 2019-05-08 van Aken HM. 2000. The hydrography of the mid-latitude northeast Atlantic Ocean I: the deep water masses. Deep Sea Res. Part I. 47:757–788. 2019-05-08 9b854ce3-9cf2-43d5-8d89-3ea45928c682 40f6d905-8673-48c3-9bdd-01720de1af69 eng oceans bounding box -19.00 5.00 26.00 56.00 pluri-annual-mean; yearly-mean 1993-01-01 2021-08-01 -5000 0 display priority: 99999 observation temporal resolution: monthly mean vertical level number: 0 false Point series NetCDF-4 https://stac.marine.copernicus.eu/metadata/IBI_OMI_WMHE_mow/ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_north_202112/dataset.stac.json WWW:STAC ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_north For accessing native data and Analysis-ready Cloud-optimized data services, consult this STAC metadata endpoint https://stac.marine.copernicus.eu/metadata/IBI_OMI_WMHE_mow/ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_reservoir_202112/dataset.stac.json WWW:STAC ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_reservoir https://stac.marine.copernicus.eu/metadata/IBI_OMI_WMHE_mow/ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_south_202112/dataset.stac.json WWW:STAC ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_south https://stac.marine.copernicus.eu/metadata/IBI_OMI_WMHE_mow/ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_west_202112/dataset.stac.json WWW:STAC ibi_omi_wmhe_mow_anomalies_west COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08 See the referenced specification The myOcean products depends on other products for production or validation. The detailed list of dependencies is given in ISO19115's aggregationInfo (ISO19139 Xpath = "gmd:MD_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:aggregationInfo[./gmd:MD_AggregateInformation/gmd:initiativeType/gmd:DS_InitiativeTypeCode/@codeListValue='upstream-validation' or 'upstream-production']")