Deep-Sea ResearchII, Vol. 40. No. 6, pp. 1247-1267, 1993. 0967~645/93 $6.(~)+ 0.

00
Printed in Great Britain. © 1993PergamonPressLtd

Dynamical studies of the Mersa Matruh Gyre: intense meander

and ring formation events

MARYAM GOLNARAGHI*

(Received 16 February 1993; in revised form 21 June 1993; accepted 24 June 1993)

Abstract--A study of the dynamics of the Mersa Matruh Gyre and the Mid-Mediterranean Jet flow
system in the southwestern Levantine basin is presented. Data-driven simulations in the Levantine
basin, using an eddy-resolving quasigeostrophic model initialized with two quasi-synoptic hydro-
graphic data sets, reveal intense mesoscale meander and ring formation events involving the Mid-
Mediterranean Jet, the Mersa Matruh Gyre and the Rhodes Gyre. The dynamics of these events
are quantified via local energy and vorticity budget analyses. The dominant processes are
investigated and compared with previously studied events in the Gulf Stream Ring and Meander
region.

1, I N T R O D U C T I O N

RECENT research in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea has led to a substantial understanding
of the structure, elements and variabilities of the general circulation. This has provided
new opportunities for fundamental dynamical process studies including multiscale inter-
actions and events. The Eastern Mediterranean is now regarded as a "Laboratory Basin"
in which a wide range of global processes occur. The synthetical analysis of the recent
available data sets has led to a new picture of the general circulation in which the
dominantly energetic sub-basin scale (SBS) features (i.e. jets and gyres) are linked to
construct the basin scale circulation. Many general process issues such as the role of the
SBS and mesoscale features in the general circulation, the nature of gyre-jet interactions,
and ring formation can be addressed by analysis and intercomparison of the available
regional and basin-wide data sets.
The strongest sub-basin scale feature of the Eastern Mediterranean general circulation
is the Mersa Matruh Gyre, with upper thermocline velocities of 0(20-30) cm s -1. This
anticyclonic gyre is located in the southwestern Levantine basin, north of the Egyptian
coast, generally between 26-30°E and 32-34.5°N with a diameter of 0(250-350) km.
Historically, the maps of the Eastern Mediterranean general circulation reveal no sign of a
strong anticyclonic gyre in the southwestern Levantine basin except for OVCHIYNIKOV
(1966). This is because these studies often were based on spatially and temporally sparse
hydrographic data sets. The maps of the upper thermocline circulation produced by
OVCmNNIKOV (1966) from the available Russian and other selected data sets reveal the

*Harvard University, Division of Applied Sciences and Department of Earth and Planetary Physics,
Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.

1247
1248 M. GOLNARAGHI

8*E 12*E 160E 20*E 24°E 28°E 32°E 36°E

400N

36°N

32°N

10°E 14°E 18*E 22°E 26°E 30°E 34°E

Fig. 1. Schematic upper thermoclinc general circulation. Dashed features are recurrent or
transient (ROBINSON et al., 1991).

existence of an anticyclonic gyre to the north of the Egyptian coastline. This gyre was
defined and named recently, during phase I of the international research program of
Physical Oceanography of the Eastern Mediterranean (POEM) (MALANOTTE-RIzzoLIand
ROBINSON, 1988; OZSOV et al., 1989; POEM GRouP, 1992), when three hydrographic
surveys (two half-basin and one full-basin) were carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean.
ROBINSON et al. (1991) have performed a complete analysis of the available data sets and
identified the Mersa Matruh Gyre as a quasi-permanent feature of the Eastern Mediterra-
nean general circulation (Fig. 1). There are variabilities associated with the location,
orientation, strength and the number of centers of the Mersa Matruh Gyre.
The dynamics and variabilities of the Mersa Matruh Gyre have been largely unknown to
this point. Recent modeling studies of the Mediterranean general circulation mainly
address the seasonal cycle of the circulation and the relative importance of the different
major driving mechanisms for the Eastern Mediterranean general circulation. TZIPERMAN
and MALANOXTE-RIzzOLI(1991), via an inverse approach based on the GDEM Climatolo-
gical data, were able to identify a small anticyclonic gyre that persisted during every season
in the southwestern Levantine basin. MALANOTTE-RIzzOLIand BERGAMASCO(1991), in
their modeling effort of the general circulation, forced a Primitive Equation model with all
the forcing mechanisms and obtained an anticyclonic signal of varying strength, but shifted
nearly 100 km to the west of the observed location of the Mersa Matruh Gyre (between 26-
30°E and 32-34.5°N). ROBINSON and GOLNARAGHI(1993), RG, have assimilated the
POEM data sets, with mesoscale resolution via initialization, into a quasi-geostrophic
(QG) model and have performed simulations of 121months duration in the Levantine and
the full Eastern Mediterranean basins. Their results indicate the robustness of the SBS
features, the nature of multiscale interactions, and their variabilities, including multilobed
gyre oscillations, intense mesoscale meandering, and ring formation. Topographic dy-
namics appears to play a crucial role in the stability and maintenance of the SBS features,
in particular the Mersa Matruh Gyre.
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1249

This study is based on data-driven simulations of RG in the Levantine basin, which have
exhibited multiscale interactions and intense mesoscale meander and ring formation
events. The focus here is on the dynamics of two events involving the Mersa Matruh Gyre,
the Mid-Mediterranean Jet and the southern rim flow of the Rhodes Gyre in the
southwestern Levantine basin. The main goal is to diagnose and quantify the dynamics of
these events via an energy and vorticity budget analysis (EVA).
The horizontal scale of the mesoscale eddies is generally related to, but somewhat larger
than, the Rossby radius of deformation. In the Mediterranean the internal radius is O(1 0-
14) km or four times smaller than the typical values for much of the world ocean. The study
of mesoscale instabilities, meandering and eddying thus requires a very fine resolution
sampling in the Mediterranean Sea (roughly 10 km). Recent dedicated high-resolution
sampling in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (ROBINSONet al., 1987; LESLIE and ROBINSON,
in preparation) has revealed energetic mesoscale features in the Levantine basin. Analysis
of the data indicates mesoscale structure in the sub-basin scale features (jets and gyres) as
well as an energetic eddy field dynamically interacting with the general circulation.
Mesoscale eddies occur with diameters on the order of 40-80 kin. Although the data sets
utilized by RG have been collected along a fine general circulation grid (roughly 50 km) not
resolving the mesoscale features, their data-driven simulations reveal interesting meso-
scale dynamical activity and mesoscale ring formation events that are representative of the
regional dynamics.
The scientific method used includes the following steps. Initialization fields are derived
from an available (quasi-) synoptic hydrographic data sets. In the presence of coasts and
islands, these fields are prepared using a geostrophic coastal constraint that prevents
normal flow into the "coastal" boundaries. The Q G model is then integrated ahead in time
in order to interpolate dynamically the fields from the data-rich to the data-sparse regions,
and dynamically adjust the initial fields derived from real oceanic data. A Q G consistent
energy and vorticity analysis (EVA) is applied to a time series of the three-dimensional
field estimates to diagnose and quantify the dynamics of the interactions and events of
interest. The Q G model is appropriate for this study because of the size of the domains and
particularly because of the robustness of the process of data assimilation into the model.
Note that Q G model is valid if the vertical velocity remains sufficiently small so that
fractional displacement of the density surfaces from their mean depth remains less than e,
the Rossby number in the Q G expansion. In the presence of steep topography, this is only
the case if topographic steering is strong enough. MILLIFF and ROBINSON (1992), MR and
RG have shown that this condition holds over much of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The next section covers a brief description of the data, the modeling and E V A domains,
and the physical oceanographic background for the Mersa Matruh Gyre region. In Section
3, the quasi-geostrophic (QG) model and a Q G consistent energy and vorticity scheme is
presented. The results of the dynamical process studies of two mesoscale meander and ring
formation events are interpreted and discussed in Section 4.

2. DATA, DOMAINS AND DESCRIPTIVE PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Two of the P O E M hydrographic surveys carried out during O c t o b e r - N o v e m b e r 1985
(ON85) and March-April 1986 (MA86) in the Levantine basin~ sampled along a fine
resolution general circulation grid ( - 0 . 5 ° in latitude and longitude) have been utilized for
this study. Subsets of these data sets extracted for a region in the southwestern Levantine
 1250 M. GOLNARAGHI

(a) (b)

i i i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ] l l l l l l l l
63- . . " . ~ +"~ '~a~ o"

.~-" ooo o~" o oo

~1 ,.." o o o o o o o o .~ cl ~ e . .'~ ~ " o " o°~o°o%
° o o ....... ~"':" .:~
oo oo o o <. o . .~ :
39 - E YA o o o o v:oloo o o1< o oo '~
-- o o o Io o o o o
53-
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o .
27
o o o o o o o o o o o o o #
21
o o o o o o o o o
Im
c
:n~l
o o o
~.
o o o c~N
,,
[ b-

" - ",,;2
9 15 21 27 ~ 39 45 7 3

(c)
25"1E 27"Z 29"E 31"E
/ I I I

,Q,?mT(~+s "./xo c~ /

31"N

I I I I I
26"[ 28"E 30"E

Fig. 2. Station locations of the CTD profiles indicated by o and positions of the inserted boundary
profiles by x and the rectangular domains for the energy and vorticity analyses are indicated for: (a)
ON85; (b) MA86. (c) Bottom topography of the Mersa Matruh Gyrc region indicated by a
rectangular domain in the southwest Levantine in (a) and (b). Contour interval is 600 m and the 600
m isobath is the continental shelf break.

are used for the computation of the Mersa Matruh Gyre regional average b u o y a n c y
frequency profile. D a t a gaps exist specifically in the southwestern corner of the Levantine
basin [Fig. 2(a) and (b)]. The symbol "x" in Fig. 2(a) and (b) indicate the location of the
inserted "boundary profiles".
The Levantine domain used by RG and the regional Mersa Matruh Gyre domain are
indicated by two labeled rectangular boxes superimposed on the O N 8 5 and M A 8 6 data
sets on Fig. 2(a) and (b). In the Levantine domain, the coastline is chosen to follow the 600
m isobath, which coincides with the continental shelf break. This choice relies on the
k n o w l e d g e that Q G physics are insufficient for studying the coastal and shelf p h e n o m e n a .
T w o domains are selected for the E V A analysis, and are indicated by the smallest
rectangular boxes on Fig. 2(a) and (b). Table 1 summarizes the parameters for all the
domains.
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1251

Table 1.

Domain parameters
Levantine EVA (ON85) EVA (MA86)

Grid center (°N, °E) (33.9, 31) (33.89, 29.93) (34.03,30.09)

Domain size (km2) 930 x 630 260 x 280 240 x 240
Horizontal grid points 94 x 65 29 x 27 25 x 25
Grid spacing (km) 10
vertical resolution 9 levels
Average depth (m) 2000
the basin
Data Set Vertical Levels(m)
ON85 30,80,120,190,290,440,640,1055,1685
MA86 30,80,120, 190, 290, 470, 700, 1100,1700

Figure 2(c) shows the bottom topography of the regional Mersa Matruh Gyre domain in
the southwestern Levantine basin. This region is characterized by a sharp continental shelf
(along most of the southern border of the domain). The bottom topography deepens
towards the north and flattens at a depth of - 3000 m in the Herodotus Abyssal Plain,
which covers most of the central portion of the domain. To the north of the Abyssal Plain is
the Mid-Mediterranean Ridge, which extends, at a depth of 2500 m, from the mid-point
along the western boundary to the northeastern corner of the domain. In the northwest,
the narrow Strabo Trench (up to 3000 m deep) separates the Mid-Mediterranean Ridge
from the complex topographic pattern to the south of the Island of Kasos and the eastern
tip of Crete.
A regular horizontal grid spacing of 10 km is used for the Levantine domain. Regional
simulations in the Mersa Matruh Gyre region using horizontal grid spacings of 7.5 and 10
km have led to locally very similar results. Nine vertical levels selected by RG for each data
set are listed in Table 1.
The Mersa Matruh Gyre regional average stratification, the mean Brunt Vfiisfilfi
frequency squared profile N2(z), was computed from horizontally averaged t e m p e r a t u r e
and salinity profiles, for each data set, separately. These N 2 profiles are plotted to a depth
of 500 m to show the structure in the upper 400 m of the water column [Fig. 3(a)]. The
actual depth of these profiles is 2500 m, which corresponds to the average depth in the
regional M M G domain. The dynamical modes were computed as the solution to the
vertical structure equation. First, three baroclinic modes obtained from MA86 data in the
regional Mersa Matruh Gyre domain are shown in Fig. 3(b). The zero crossings of the first
and second baroclinic modes and the values of the first three internal radii of deformation
(Ri) for each data set in the regional Mersa Matruh Gyre domain are given in Table 2.

3. THE DYNAMICAL MODEL AND ENERGY AND VORTICITY ANALYSIS SCHEME

The H a r v a r d quasi-geostrophic model (MILLER et al., 1983; ROBINSON and WALSTAD,
1987, RW) used has been generalized to domains that may be partially open and partially
closed by arbitrary coastlines (MILLIFF, 1990) and may contain islands ( O z s o v etal., 1992).
 I,J/
1'-,9

(a) (b)
I .

M/~86

ON85 50O

~" 20O 1000

t~
nr
--i
{D ?
ID
Ul
>z
{k 1500-
a:

400 2000

2500
0.0 ~10 ° 1.0 xlO -'° 2.0 x l O -4 -6 -4 -2 O 2 4 6
amplitude
Fig. 3. (a) Brunt V~isfihi frequency squared (N 2) profiles plotted only to 500 meters in the Mersa Matruh Gyre domain using profiles from ON85, MA86.
These profiles extend to 2500 m which is the average depth of the regional Mersa Matruh Gyre domain. (b) First three baroclinic modes for MA86.
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1253

Table 2. Zero crossings and internal radii for each data set in the
Mersa Matruh Gyre domain

Dataset Zero crossing of the modes (m) Ri (km)

1 2 1 2 3

ON85 406 65 650 14.1 7.1 4.7

MA86 455 107 845 10.7 4.8 3.3

A QG consistent energy and vorticity analysis scheme has been developed by PINARDI and
ROBINSON (1986).
The model uses the following non-dimensional prognostic equation for the conservation
of the potential vorticity Q

(V2~0 -~- I~2(O~lYz)z) q- aJ(lp,V21p) -[- a['2J(lp,(Olpz)z) + fllpx = Fpqr, (1)

at

where potential vorticity Q is composed of relative vorticity (R = V2qa) and thermal

vorticity (T = ['2(Olpz)z), J is the Jacobian operator, V2 is the horizontal Laplacian and the
non-dimensional parameters are

a
_ v0t0
Lo fl = floLoto [,2 = \N~Ho]
(f°L° ]2 O(Z) -- N2 ,
N2(z)

which can be determined for a typical horizontal length L0, time scale to, velocity scale vo,
vertical length scale Ho. The coriolis parameter at the center of the domain and its
variation with latitude are given by f0 and flo. The Brunt V~is~l~ frequency at the
mid-thermocline is represented by No, Fpqr
is a scale-dependent Shapiro filter of order p
applied q times at every rtime steps. Table 3 summarizes the model parameters used in this
study.
Symbolically equation (1) can be written as
0 = k + T = A F R + AFT + AFt, + Fpq r (2)
where (') denotes the time rate of change and (AF) denotes the advection of R, T and
planetary velocity.
The horizontal and vertical boundary conditions are described in detail in (OzsoY et al.,
1992) and RG. Briefly, along the open boundaries of the computational domain Charney,
Fjortoft and von Neumann (CFvN) conditions are prescribed that require the specification
of *p along all open boundary locations and potential vorticity at inflow points. Along the
coastal nodes a horizontally constant stream function value ~p¢(z, t = ~) must be specified
that can be estimated from near coastal data. The procedure for selection of ~Pc from
hydrographic data is described in RG. After initialization, the model imposes at the first
time step a geostrophic constraint on the stream function along the coastal boundary based
on a weighted average algorithm independent of the initial condition. Along the bound-
aries of enclosed basins or islands given an initially specified value of ~Pc(z, {a), a value for
the quasi-geostrophic circulation is computed at the first time step at each vertical level.
Previous modeling experience (MR, RG) has shown that in the presence of coastlines, the
imposition of the kinematic coastal boundary conditions in the initialization fields for the
Q G model is preferred. The open and coastal boundary conditions for the region can be
1254 M. GOLNARAGHI

Table 3. List of symbols and standard model parameters

Symbol Standard model parameters

At t i m e step = 1.5 h
t0 t i m e scale = I day
% velocity scale = 10 cm s -1
Lo h o r i z o n t a l scale = 15 k m
Htp vertical scale = 350 m
Fpqr S h a p i r o filter (pqr) = (411)
~p g e o s t r o p h i c s t r e a m function or p r e s s u r e
Q d y n a m i c a l vorticity = R + T
R rclativc vorticity ~72/p
T t h e r m a l vorticity F2(o~p.):
0t~72/p
F2Ot(O~z)z
AFR - a g ' • VVe~0
AF,r - a [ ` 2 ~ ' . V(Ogaz)z

K k i n e t i c e n e r g y - (u 2 + v2)/2
A a v a i l a b l e g r a v i t a t i o n a l e n e r g y = ['20 ~2/2
R O,K
d a,A
AFK - a V . (~'K)
AE. -V. (V,Vv,~,+ a~0v' • VVV,-/3v,yv~)
Of~ oI'2az(~zt + ~ " Vgaz)
b -q)zw
AFA -ctV. (~A)

maintained or interpolated between the initial and a later sampling of the boundaries. In
the vertical, a rigid lid assumption at the top and a no normal flow condition at the bottom
are used. The full topographic slope is applied at an assumed mean depth of the domain z
= - H . SCHARand DAVIES (1988) have shown that the imposition of the full slope at a mean
depth can in some circumstances tend to underestimate topographic heights and overesti-
mate topographic extent.
The Q G consistent equations for kinetic energy [K = (u 2 + v2)/2] and available
gravitational energy [A = aF20p2z)/2] have been derived ( P I N A R D I and ROBINSON, 1986). A
symbolic representation of these equations is given by
k = A F K + Af~ + AF~ + AF~ + df" + 6 f ~ - b + D (3)
and
J~ = AFA + b + D, (4)
where b, the buoyancy working, is a conversion term between K and A since it appears in
equations (3) and (4) with opposite signs. D is the dissipation term in the energy equations
consistent with Shapiro filter operation on vorticity. PINARm and ROBINSON (1986) provide
a detailed description of the terms in the energy and vorticity equations, as well as, the
details for physical and computational issues for open domain applications of EVA. The
dynamical processes which occur during the simulation are diagnosed by applying the Q G
consistent E V A scheme based on equations (2)-(4).
 Intense meanderand ring foundationevents 1255

4. RESULTS
Two intense meander and ring formation events are identified and described. These
events are based on data-driven simulations carried out by RG in the Levantine basin.
These simulations were performed with topography, with and without wind forcing for a
period of 45 days, using ON85 and MA86 data sets. Since only one realization of the open
boundaries existed for each data set utilized, the open boundary conditions were persisted
from the initial conditions, for the duration of the model integration. In these experiments,
interesting mesoscale events were exhibited. The experiments performed with direct wind
forcing resulted in identical interactions of the sub-basin scale features and mesoscale
events in the region under study (RG), indicating that wind forcing is relatively unimport-
ant during periods of 1-2 months. For this study, the ON85 simulations were extended to
55 days since the event to be studied was not completed by day 45. A quantitative study of
the dominant dynamical processes via an energy and vorticity analysis scheme is pre-
sented. The EVA was applied to a time series of three-dimensional fields extracted for
selected domains [i.e. smallest rectangular domains indicated Fig. 2(a) and (b)]. For these
analyses, important terms in equations (2)-(4) are displayed in a time series of horizontal
maps and the dominant terms are identified. The results of the energy and vorticity
analyses for the simulations with and without wind forcing are essentially identical.
Finally, the similarities and differences to previous studies of realistic meander propaga-
tion and ring formation events in the Gulf Stream Meander Ring region (GSMR) are
discussed.

4.1. Identification of the events

The results from two simulations in the Levantine basin with topography are presented
to identify the intense mesoscale meander and ring formation events studied here.
Snapshots of the ~pfields are depicted in Fig. 4(a)-(d) at 30 m for ON85 after 10, 20, 35 and
50 days and in Fig. 5(a)-(d) at 80 m for MA86 after 10, 20, 35 and 40 days of model
integration. On these and all succeeding maps the stream function is in non-dimensional
units. The dimensionalizing factor is 1.5 × 103 m2s 1.
During both simulations interesting mesoscale activites, and interactions between the
mesoscale and sub-basin scale features are exhibited throughout the domain. However,
the focus of this study is on the intense mesoscale meandering and ring formation events in
the southwestern Levantine involving the Mid-Mediterranean Jet, the Mersa Matruh
Gyre (and the Rhodes Gyre). Note that only the structure of the flow inside the
rectangular box in the southwestern Levantine, indicated in Figs 4(a) and 5(a), is described
here. In ON85 [Fig. 4(a)-(d)], the northern part of this subregion is occupied by the
southern part of the Rhodes Gyre. As seen in Fig. 4(a), on day 10, mesoscale undulations
along the southern border of the Rhodes Gyre appear to interact with the Mid-
Mediterranean Jet, which enters the domain through the western open boundary. By day
20 [Fig. 4(b)] the undulations along the Rhodes Gyre southern border have intensified and
added undulations to Mid-Mediterranean Jet. These interactions lead to an interesting
mesoscale meandering of the Mid-Mediterranean Jet. The interactions of the jet with
Mersa Matruh Gyre results in the deformation of the northeastern tip of the gyre [Fig.
4(c)]. The deep northward Mid-Mediterranean Jet meander, northeast of Mersa Matruh
Gyre (x = 25 n.d. units or 240 km), intensifies by developing its side jets and a distinct
1256 M. GOLNARAGHI

ONS5 (a) (b)

I ! I ; I [ I [ I I [ J I [ J I I J I I [ ] [ I i [ I I L ~ I I I I I I I I [ [ [ i L I I [ r I I L [ I [ iLl

~] I I i I I I b ~ I I I i L I I [ l k I I I I I ~ I I I L I I I I i I I b I L I I I I I L
Day 10 20

(c) (d)
I I L i i I L J I I I I i L I L I I I I L I I I i L ] I I I I I I I I 1 J~ll] ~i I r r k ] i J~

[- i i I i i i i i i i i i i [ i i i i i i i i i ~ i t j i~
35 50
Fig. 4. Simulated stream function fields with topography and wind forcing at 30 m (CI = 1) for
ON85, in the full Levantinedomain after: (a) 10; (b) 20; (c) 35; and (d) 50 daysof integration. Note
that this study focuseson the flow inside the rectangular box indicated in the southwestern part of
the Levantine domain.

meander head. Two of the Mersa Matruh Gyre streamlines have extended inside the
meander head by day 35. Finally, by day 50 [Fig. 4(d)] two Mersa Matruh Gyre streamlines
pinch off. The analysis of the time series of dynamic vorticity maps confirms the
entrapment of Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass inside the meander head region. We will
return to this point later. Analysis of the ~p fields at 80 and 120 m (not shown here) reveals
similar flow structure. A 90 day extension of this simulation (not shown) indicates a
continuous interaction between the Mersa Matruh Gyre and Mid-Mediterranean Jet
which leads to the reabsorption of the Mersa Matruh Gyre patch, captured inside the
meander head region, by the gyre.
In MA86, the main thermocline flow reveals interesting mesoscale dynamics and
interactions. Both the Rhodes Gyre and the Mid-Mediterranean Jet appear to be much
weaker in MA86 compared to ON85 [Figs 5(a) and 4(a)]. On day 10 [Fig. 5(a)], the
mesoscale undulations along the Rhodes Gyre southern border have extended southward
and enveloped the longitudinally extended Mersa Matruh Gyre. Note that the double
lobed Mersa Matruh Gyre almost separates into two independent sub-basin scale anticy-
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1257

MA86
(a) (b)
l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l [ i I I I I I I [ III [ I II 1 I [I[ I I [ [1

I Ill II~lll I l l l l l l II II I I I I I I I I ] 1 I i ; [ ' I I I L I I I I k I

Day 10 2O

(c) (d)
I III I l l l l l l l l l l II II II I I I l l l I Ill I l l l l i l I I I I I l l

J
I ] I I I I t I L I I I I I I I t [ i I i I I I I I I I l l l I l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
35 40
Fig. 5. Simulated stream function fields at 80 m (CI = 1) for MA86, in the full Levantine domain
after (a) 10; (b) 25; (c) 35; and (d) 40 days of integration. Note that this study focuses on the flow
inside the rectangular box indicated in the southwestern part of the Levantine domain.

clones by day 35 [Fig. 5(b) and (c)]. The small perturbations along the border flow between
the Mid-Mediterranean Jet and the Mersa Matruh Gyre seen on day 10 [Fig. 5(a)] grow
and develop into two steep mesoscale meanders by day 20 [Fig. 5(b)]. Finally, two
mesoscale rings snap off, one on day 31 and the other on day 39, as shown in Fig. 7(c) and
(d) both capturing some Mersa Matruh Gyre water. These rings are 40 and 75 km in
diameter, respectively. By day 40 they have interacted with each other while intruding
northward into the Rhodes Gyre region [Fig. 5(d)].

4.1.(a) Intense meander formation: October-November 1985. A schematic of the

dominant energy conversion signals associated with the development of intense meander-
ing of Mid-Mediterranean Jet and the e n t r a p m e n t of the Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass
inside the m e a n d e r head region superimposed in the stream function contours is shown in
Fig. 6. The buoyancy work, or interaction work rate, b [equations (3) and (4)] is
responsible for the conversions of kinetic energy to available potential energy and vice
versa. A positive value of b is associated with the conversion of kinetic energy to available
 1258 M. GOLNARAGH!

K ---~A f2~,. "- . K ---->A ~ , 7. : =. ~ . ~,k~ K--+A MMG

"-.~_,-" ". ",~ "4 ~,~.--,.. ~,- ~ -,~.2~-, ~a~

.o t '
• ~ ""
-,K oo# "',
"/ /// /~-d[I / ~ pinching x~, ip o contom
/// jot / --.~]q ~v~,t "="

(1) J (2) ~ (3)

day 20
- day 22-38 day 40-55
Fig. 6. Schematicof thc intense meander formation in ON85 along the Mid-Mediterranean
Jet/Mersa Matruh Gyre border flowwith the associatedenergyconversions.

gravitational energy (K---> A) or barotropic conversion and a negative b with A ~ K or

baroclinic conversion. This event may be separated into three different phases: (1)
initiation, (2) growth of the meander and its interaction with Mersa Matruh Gyre; and (3)
the entrapment of the Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass. During phase I, initially the Mid-
Mediterranean Jet has a smooth wave-like meander pattern. This meander pattern
exhibits a typical propagation signal of alternating signs of energy conversion discussed in
SURI and ROBINSON (in preparation), SR, for Gulf Stream propagating meanders. The
Mid-Mediterranean Jet interacts with the Rhodes Gyre (day 22) and the mesoscale
undulations along the southern border of the gyre add undulations to the jet. During the
second phase (days 22-38) a northward meander develops and grows by developing its side
jet segments and a distinct head structure (Fig. 6). The upstream side jet slowly turns from
a broad northeastward to a tight northwestward jet. This is associated with an increase in
the conversion of the kinetic to available potential energy along the outer rim of the Mersa
Matruh Gyre border at the base of the meander head. This barotropic conversion is
accompanied by a decreasing baroclinic conversion associated with the tightening of the
upstream jet. This intense meander interacts with the Mersa Matruh Gyre resulting in the
deformation of the northeastern tip of the gyre, and the Mersa Matruh Gyre streamlines
are pulled inside the head of the meander. In the neck region significant curvature
develops and particles are advected at different speeds, resulting in narrowing of the size of
the neck. As will be shown later, a coherent patch of dynamic vorticity (Q) is developed
inside the meander head (not shown). By the third phase, Q contours break completely
from the gyre, indicating the entrapment of Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass inside the
meander head. During the actual pinching event b is small along the inner rim of the
meander side jets and the neck regions. At lower depths (i.e. 80 and 120 m) similar energy
conversions signals are revealed.
Selected snapshots of the terms for the stream function, vorticity and dynamical
balances are depicted in Fig. 7(a) and (b) at 30 m for days 22, 34, 36 and 52 of the model
integration. These maps quantitatively reveal all the important balances. As is seen in Fig.
7(a) the vorticity in the meander formation region is predominantly composed of relative
vorticity, R. The interaction between the Mid-Mediterranean Jet and the Mersa Matruh
Gyre and the development of the intense northward meander have led to the deformation
of the northeastern border flow of the gyre. As the fluid passes through the base region of
the meander into the upstream side jet [location 1 on day 34, Fig. 7(a)] it loses relative
velocity and gains thermal vorticity. Along the upstream side jet of the meander a strong
 Intense meanderand ringfoundationevents 1259

confluent-diffluent region, known as a diffuser (SR), has formed as indicated in the Q and
R contours [location 2 on day 34, Fig. 7(a)] whereas thermal vorticity, T, does not exhibit
any signal. Before the first Mersa Matruh Gyre streamline pinches off in the ~pfield, the Q
and R have formed close contours inside the meander head. This signal in ~p lags behind
that of Q and R by about 5 days. By day 46 the size of the neck region [location 3, Fig. 7(a)]
has been reduced and the second Mersa Matruh Gyre streamline has just pinched off. All
except one of the relative vorticity contours are closed and have formed a coherent patch
of R with a corresponding smaller coherent patch in the dynamic vorticity Q (location 4).
The relative vorticity provides a precursor signal for the event leading to the entrapment of
Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass inside the meander head. This signal is not so distinctly
apparent in the thermal vorticity, T.
The terms presented in Fig. 7(b) include vorticity terms,/~, -AFT and - A F R [equation
(2)], and ( - b ) [equation (3)], the - buoyancy work rate. The planetary vorticity
advection, AFp, in equation (2) has been neglected since locally it is numerically
unimportant. During the first phase, the vorticity balance is Q ~ R -~ AFR + AFr. But sign
of -AFR indicates a net outflow of relative vorticity and the sign of --AFT implies a net
inflow of thermal vorticity. The larger net outflow of relative vorticity compared to the
inflow of the thermal vorticity results in the depletion of Q as the meander develops and
the vorticity contours diverge. At the neck of the meander Q (or/~) is zero, whereas the
tightening of the upstream side jet is associated with a positive .Q [location 1 in/~, day 34,
Fig. 7(b)] and the base of the upstream side jet with a negative Q (location 2, depletion of
Q). The advective flux divergence terms, - A F R and --AFT, also exhibit similar wave-like
pattern but of opposite sign. The + and - patches of -AFR and - AT:r imply a net inflow or
outflow of the relative and thermal vorticity along the upstream side jet and the meander
head region. By day 38 (not shown), the vorticity balance has reduced to a simple two term
balance with Q ~ 0 ~ AFR + AF T along the base of the meander head region and the neck
region. The enstrophy cascade is activated as the neck region moves closer. This is
exhibited in the snap shots of D (not shown).
The snapshots of minus the buoyancy work, - b , are shown in Fig. 7(b). Note that
negative contours of - b are associated with a barotropic (K ~ A) conversion whereas
positive contours of - b are associated with a baroclinic (A ~ K) conversion. During the
second phase an asymmetric energy conversion pattern is exhibited with a signal of K---~ A
conversion in location 1 and A --~ K conversion in location 2. The positive patch of
barotropic conversion (location 1) intensifies by day 38 and exhibits a maximum between
days 46 and 52. On day 46, in the neck region during the actual pinching event (location 3),
buoyancy work is small. After the second Mersa Matruh Gyre streamline pinches off on
day 46, the intensity of the barotropic conversion is reduced.

4.1.(b) Two ring formations: March-April 1986. The development of the two steep
meanders along the Mersa Matruh Gyre/Mid-Mediterranean Jet border flow, which pinch
off to form two mesoscale rings in MA86, is associated with a complex pattern of energy
conversions (Fig. 8). The formation event for each ring can be divided into three phases:
(1) initiation; (2) meander growth; and (3) cut off. The two rings are formed by days 31 and
39. During phase I (days 0-10) small perturbations develop along the jet-gyres border
flow. The energy conversions associated with the development of these perturbations
include two patches of baroclinic and barotropic conversions located along the inner rim of
the Mersa Matruh Gyre flow along the western border, and an elongated patch of - b (A --~
1260 M. GOLNARAGHI

Q T

(D ....' " !
34 i

52
::.~Z:/
:!!iiii:%:
. - h'~',,, ",.'~ .
.... ;"~'ir ~--~U..... xL

Fig. 7. E V A fields for ON85 ring formation at 30 m. (a) ~p, Q, R, T (CI = 1 for all); (b)/). AFR ,
AFT, and - b (CI = 1 for all except for - b CI = 1.50), at days 22, 34, 46, 52.

K conversion) coinciding with the northeastern tip and the eastern border of Mersa
Matruh Gyre. During phase II (day 11-16 for ring 1 and day 11-30 for ring 2) two steep
meanders grow and steepen. Interactions between the Mid-Mediterranean Jet and the
Mersa Matruh Gyre lead to the deformation of the Mersa Matruh Gyre streamlines, which
are pulled inside the meander heads. As the meanders steepen, the side jets tighten while
the flow broadens inside the meander head regions. During this phase a complex pattern of
energy conversions develop, as shown in the second schematic. This includes 2 patches of
barotropic conversions along the side jets of the meanders, and an elongated patch of
baroclinic conversion, bordering the crests of the streamlines inside the western meander
head. The first ring forms on day 31 as the neck region of the eastern meander moves
closer. The analysis of dynamic vorticity maps indicates the formation of closed contours
of Q inside the meander head. During the actual pinching event, b is small along the
meander jets and the neck (Fig. 8). This ring is weak, with a diameter of 0(40) km.
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1261

-AF~ -AF~ -b

(D-
O-

,/~s~,,~/, ...........

i!:iil j ®
!:?i',r / . /

Fig. 7. (Continued.)

Between days 19 and 30, the western meander continues to steepen. By the end of this
phase, the baroclinic conversion inside the meander head reaches a maximum whereas the
barotropic conversion in the two adjacent patches is decreased. The third schematic
corresponds to the cut off of the second ring. This involves a necking process which results
in the pinching off of a ring capturing Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass. Similarly, during
the actual pinching event b is small along the meander jets and at the neck.
To demonstrate the vorticity balances associated with these complex ring formation
events, selected daily fields at 80 m are depicted in Fig. 9(a)-(b). The vorticity is
predominantly composed of the thermal vorticity, T during the entire simulation. Up to
about day 8, the relative vorticity, R, is nearly zero throughout the domain. Five locations
have been identified on the stream function field on day 20 to simplify the discussion.
These locations correspond to the main regions of energy conversions associated with the
intensification of the two meanders and the ring cutoffs. Location 1 is the upstream side jet
of the western meander, location 2 is at the base of the western meander head and location
1262 M. GOLNARAGHI

(1) (2)

i JeJt tSs~• • A--oK * ~'*'*~ K .--4A

K---).A~ / O ',
~ ~lItt
/ •
pSt
J•

day 0-10

(3)

~ M M G
•-~
s~ S ~ . " watermass

sSSSr ~t

day 30-36
Fig. 8. Schematicof the formationof the two mesoscaleringsin MA86with the associatedenergy
conversions.

3 coincides with the downstream side jet of the meander. Location 4 is at the bottom of the
meander where the jet diverges and location 5 is the neck region of the second meander.
During the growing phase (i.e. day 20), the thermal vorticity is visually coherent with the
stream function pattern, and the relative vorticity has developed negative and positive
patches elongated and stretched along the sides of the meanders. As the two meanders
steepen, there is a net accumulation of R at the bottom of the first meander (location 4, day
20). Inside the head of the eastern meander thermal vorticity contours are closed by about
day 20 (location 5). The actual necking and pitching event in the ~Pfields lags behind the
vorticity by about 4 days. As indicated on day 29, cascading of R along side meanders and
the neck regions occurs, and the filter dissipates the enstrophy cascading to small scales.
The Q has formed closed contours inside the meander head. The cut off process of the
second ring is slower than the first ring. Eventually as ring 2 is formed, both Tand Q exhibit
 Intense meanderand ring foundationevents 1263

ring like features of negative vorticity corresponding to the rings indicated in the ~p field
(day 38).
The vorticity balances (including T, -AFT, -AFR) and the negative buoyancy rate ( - b )
at 80 m are depicted in Fig. 9(b) for the same days as in Fig. 9(a). The planetary.advection
is neglected since it is locally unimportant, numerically. Initially, -AFR and R are each
essentially - 0 , even though structures develop in both R and -AFR, but the dominant
balance is Q ~ 7" ~- AFT throughout the entire simulation except for some smaller scale
high amplitude signals in AFR. During the meander growth (i.e. day 20) along the side
jets Q is positive, whereas near the neck and the central parts of the head region Q is
negative. Note that the latter is a consequence of the divergence of the vorticity contours
near the head and neck of the meanders [see Q shown in Fig. 9(a) for the divergence of iso-
potential vorticity lines in the meander head and neck region on days 20 and 31]. As the
meanders grow, elongated patches of relative vorticity flux divergences of alternating signs
occur along the side jets of the meanders indicating net inflow and outflow of relative
vorticity (see day 20). Only small-scale patches of -AFR remains beyond day 32 (not
shown) corresponding to the start of the actual pinching of the western meander. The local
vorticity balance in the deepening meanders show an intense cascade of R along the
downstream side jet of the western meander and at the neck.
The details of the associated energy conversions with the two events discussed earlier
are demonstrated in Fig. 9(b). A complex pattern of baroclinic and barotropic energy
conversions associated with the growth of the meanders develops by day 16 (not shown),
and becomes more distinct by day 20. The five locations identified earlier on the snapshot
of the stream function field on day 20 [Fig. 9(a)] also have been indicated on the - b field to
demonstrate the regions of energy conversion associated with the formation and intensifi-
cation of the two meanders. The baroclinic conversion inside the western meander head
reaches a maximum on day 30, while the two adjacent barotropic conversions decrease.
These energy conversion signals significantly reduce by day 38, before the second ring
snaps off.

4.2. Discussion
In ON85, the intense meander is formed due to the interactions of the Mid-
Mediterranean Jet with the mesoscale undulations along the Rhodes Gyre southern
border. However, the steep mesoscale meanders in MA86 develop from the amplification
of small scale perturbations along the Mid-Mediterranean Jet/Mersa Matruh Gyre border.
In both cases the jet interacts with the Mersa Matruh Gyre, but these interactions result in
different types of events. In ON85, the northeastern tip of Mersa Matruh Gyre deforms,
and finally some Mersa Matruh Gyre water is captured inside the meander head as
indicated by the analysis of the dynamic vorticity field. The analysis of the fields at other
levels confirms that this is not a ring formation event. In MA86, two mesoscale rings form
north of the Mid-Mediterranean Jet, with some Mersa Matruh Gyre water being captured
in their centers. The energy conversions associated with these events also differ. In ON85,
the main energy conversion signal is a barotropic conversion at the base of the diffluent
region of potential vorticity upstream of the meander head. The energy signals associated
with the two mesoscale meanders formed in MA86 include elongated patch of baroclinic
conversion centered inside the meander head region, bordering the crests of the stream-
lines, with adjacent elongated patches of barotropic conversion along the side jets. For the
1264 M. GOLNARAGHI

q, Q /' R

2o ~ , ,i. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .°

. . . . . . =o . . . . . . . . ., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ),

Fig. 9. EVAfieldsforMA86ringformationat80m.(a)~,Q,R,T(CI= lforall);(b) T, AlZl,

~Fn, and - b (CI = 1 for all), at days 5, 20, 29, 38.

first ring the barotropic conversion occurs upstream of the meander neck region, whereas
for ring 2, the location of the K--~ A conversion is upstream of the meander head.
Regional, eddy-resolving numerical studies of the dynamics of the GSMR interactions
have been carried out by ROBINSON et al. (1988) and SPALL and ROBINSON (1990). SR
further investigated the energy and vorticity analysis of both the warm and cold core ring
formation events in six cases based on real oceanic events and have proposed a "diffuser"
mechanism which appears to play an important role in typical ring formation events in
GSMR. This mechanism consists of a sequence of processes where a diffuser-like structure
forms during the intermediate stages of the transition of a meander into a ring. They refer
to the "diffuser" as being a diffluent region of vorticity with a dominant + b signal (i.e. K----~
A conversion) centered at the base of the diffluent region of potential vorticity. As the
meander grows, a diffuser is formed near the head of the meander. A diffuser can also
develop at the upstream side jet of the meander, upstream and downstream of the neck, or
downstream of the head region of the meander. Figure 10 illustrates the diffluent iso-
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1265

:P -AFT -AFn "~

....'~:: ~N;:@

.... . ~:~.~

~:~ ~::! : .: .... :i; '!::;,,

20

. . . . . . . . . I 1 , 1 . . . . . i . . . . . . . . ~ . . . . . . . . . . . .

29

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

Fig. 9. (Continued.)

Fig. 10. Schematic of the "diffuser" mechanism associated with the formation of a typical ring in
GSMR (SuRI and ROBINSON, in preparation).
1266 M. GOLNARAGHI

potential vorticity lines associated with a ring formation in the GSMR. The meander
growth involves a dominant + b (i.e. barotropic conversion) at the base of the diffuser and
a small patch of baroclinic conversion as the upstream side jet tightens. The diffuser
relaxes as the neck region moves closer and pinches off to form a ring. They suggest a
useful measure of the diffuser strength as the ratio of the area integral of b at the base of the
diffuser to the area integral of the nearby - b patch. During ring formation events studied
by SR, this ratio reached a value of 10. As the ring is formed, the diffuser loses its strength.
The process of the intense meander formation, in ON85, involves the development of a
"diffuser" (Fig. 4), similar to the schematic shown in Fig. 10. The strength of this diffuser
reaches a maximum of approximately 2-3 just before the second streamline of the Mersa
Matruh Gyre is about to pinch off. In ON85, the ring cut off from Mersa Matruh Gyre
could have been stopped possibly due to lower strength of the diffuser; however, further
investigation is necessary.
The formation of the first ring in MA86 involves the development of a diffuser at the
upstream neck region of the eastern meander along the Mersa Matruh Gyre eastern
border flow. This is accompanied by a decreasing baroclinic conversion of available
potential energy to kinetic energy inside the neck region. The processes leading to the
growth of the western meander and formation of ring 2 differ significantly from the
previous cases of ring formation studied. During the growth of this meander, the
barotropic conversions occur in thin elongated patches at the base of the diffluent iso-
potential vorticity lines, across the upstream and downstream meander side jets. How-
ever, the main energy conversion signal is an elongated patch of baroclinic conversions
coinciding with and extending along the center of the meander head. The growth of this
meander is accompanied by an increasing baroclinic conversion in the head and a
decreasing barotropic conversion along the side jets of the meander.

5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

A quantitative knowledge of the physical processes is essential in the ocean forecasting
research and interdisciplinary modeling. An important research goal is the determination
of the dynamical processes governing meso, sub-basin and basin scale synoptic phenom-
ena, events and interactions, including their statistical relationship to the general circu-
lation. In this study, the dynamics of the flow system in the southwestern Levantine basin,
involving the Mersa Matruh Gyre, the Mid-Mediterranean Jet, and the Rhodes Gyre has
been explored. Dat-driven simulation of O (2 months) duration in the Levantine basin
(RG) have provided the basis for this investigation. Research issue investigated here
includes the local dynamical processes of the sub-basin scale gyre-jet-gyre interactions
resulting in mesoscale events. To seek the dynamical explanation of the synoptic-
mesoscale events in the Mediterranean Sea, sub-basin and mesoscale gyre-jet-gyre
interactions were considered and the processes were diagnosed via the local energy and
vorticity analysis. In the first event (ON85), the Mid-Mediterranean Jet formed a
mesoscale meandering pattern due to its interactions with the Rhodes Gyre. A deep
northward branch of the Mid-Mediterranean Jet meander interacted with the Mersa
Matruh Gyre and resulted in the entrapment of Mersa Matruh Gyre water mass inside the
meander head as indicated by the dynamic vorticity contours. This process involved a K--~
A (barotropic energy conversion) similar to the GSMR diffuser mechanism. The second
event (MA86) included two ring formation events, to the north of the Mid-Mediterranean
 Intense meander and ring foundation events 1267

Jet along its border flow with the Mersa Matruh Gyre. Two steep mesoscale meanders
developed from the amplification of small scale perturbations along the Mid-
Mediterranean Jet/Mersa Matruh Gyre border. The formation of the first meander
involved the development of a diffuser along the upstream neck region of the meander;
whereas, for the second ring an intense baroclinic conversion in the meander along the
diffluent region bordering the crests of the streamlines appeared to be the important
energy transfer mechanism.

Acknowledgements--The author is grateful to Professor A. R. Robinson for scientific guidance and input and
also thanks Mr Quang J. Ha for production assistance. This research was supported by NSF grant OCE-90-12821
and ON R grant N0014-90-J-1593-2 to Harvard University and the numerical simulations were carried out undcr
the grant HVD200 at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC).

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