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Barale, V., Zin, I.: Impact of continental margins in the Mediterranean Sea: Hints from the surface colour and temperature historical record. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 6: 5-14, 2000.

Zusammenfassung: Abstract. The surface colour and temperature fields of the
Mediterranean Sea, as appearing in time series of basin-wide
images available in the CZCS (1979-1985) and AVHRR (1982-
1991) historical archives, differentiate between basin interior
and continental margins affected by coastal patterns, river
plumes, and mesoscale features. The original data were processed
to apply calibration factors, to correct for atmospheric
contamination, and to estimate chlorophyll-like pigment concentration
and surface temperature. Composites were derived, as
monthly and annual means, using a fixed equal-area projection
with a 1-km2 pixel grid. Enhanced pigment values and lower
temperatures along the northern coastal areas (i.e. the Ligurian,
Provençal and Balearic basins, as well as the Adriatic and
Aegean Seas) have been associated with the impact of runoff
from continental margins (i.e. both a direct impact due to the
sediment load and one induced on the planktonic flora by the
associated nutrient load) and with vertical mixing due to the
prevailing winds (i.e. the Mistral in the northwest, the Bora in
the Adriatic, the Etesians in the Aegean). The pattern of
increasing pigments and decreasing temperatures is seen to
develop in the monthly images from the coastal zone towards
the open sea from summer to winter, and then back from
winter to summer. The southern coastal areas show different
values, namely lower pigments and higher temperatures (except
in areas where the data are altered by signal contamination).
It is suggested that differences in geomorphology and
meteorology of the basin margins have an impact on both
water biogeochemistry and dynamics, influencing the biooptical
and thermal properties of the various sub-basins, and
of the entire Mediterranean region.
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