How mixing parameterisations shape water masses and circulation in the Mediterranean Sea

CMCC Talks
15 June 2026, 12:00 CEST | Online
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The Mediterranean Sea is an ideal laboratory for investigating how subgrid-scale mixing processes influence ocean dynamics across scales. In this seminar, we will present how mixing affects water mass properties, large-scale circulation, and mesoscale variability, building on the regional ocean model of the physical component of the Mediterranean Forecasting System developed at CMCC.

The first focus will be on vertical turbulent closures and show that the impact of convective adjustment strongly depends on the adopted parameterisation and is largely redundant when physics-based schemes are used, and we will then examine how mixing controls the large-scale circulation of the basin. Particular attention is given to the representation and pathways of the Levantine Intermediate Water, whose export toward the western basin strongly influences the Mediterranean overturning circulation.

The analysis further explores the impact of mixing on surface mesoscale variability, focusing on how the sea surface temperature spectrum varies across scales and on the mechanisms that shape the mesoscale range. Overall, these findings indicate that mixing parameterisations are fundamental controls on Mediterranean dynamics across a wide range of scales, shaping processes from the mesoscale up to the basin-wide circulation.