Study of variation in flow through Strait of Gibraltar.

Abstract

Averaged oceanographic station data are used to describe the seasonal variation of salinity and temperature in the Strait of Gibraltar area. Seasonal sections of salinity suggest that winter is the season of maximum outflow of the Mediterranean Water, and that summer is the season of maximum inflow of the Atlantic Water. The seasonal sections show how the high salinity water is deflected to the north along the Iberian Peninsula, and show that the salinity maximum near 1000 meters, west of Portugal, is maintained through all seasons. The seasonal currents of the bottom layer west of the sill are computed. These are used with the cross-sectional area across the strait to compute the seasonal mass transport, of the outflowing layer. The total annual outflow thus obtained compares favorably with earlier calculations.