Diagnostic simulations of the seasonal circulation in the Sicily Channel

The seasonal circulation in the Sicily Channel has been diagnostically simulated with the Princeton Ocean Model. The simulated Modified Atlantic Water/Levantine Intermediate Water system appears characterised by a strong seasonal variability of the MAW flow related to the intensity of the wind forcing, the bottom geometry and the hydrological characteristics. From winter to summer the flow modifies its characteristics from a wide and relatively unstructured flow to a relatively narrow meandering current influenced by the geometry of the Sicilian continental shelf break. The LIW flow exhibits a reduced seasonal variability connected to the intensity of the flow rather than to its spatial location. Also the LIW inflow into the southern Tyrrhenian Sea appears seasonally modulated in intensity.