Satellite and field observations of a sea surface cold filament off Cape Passero (South of Sicily, Central Mediterranean Sea)

We here analyse thermal satellite images, Quik SCAT wind data, CTD and ADCP transects crossing a cold filament off Cape Passero, the southern tip of Sicily, sampled during the SYMPLEX 99 cruise (November 1999). Its width is ? 25 km, its length is ? 200 Km, the lateral thermal anomaly is ?T ? 2 °C and it is seen to be mostly flowing over a 100-120 m deep sea bottom. It is best identified by its temperature low values in the filament core (upper 50 m), with outcropping isothermals, but also its salinity and bottom turbidity data are of interest. It shows weak along-flow widening, indicating low entrainment of surrounding waters. Among other effectes, this supports the idea that filaments has to be seen as a set of streamlines of high potential vorticity.