Mistral and Dense Water Formation in the Mediterranean Sea

The Mistral wind is a cool, dry, strong wind that flows out through the Rhône Valley in the southern part of France into the Gulf of Lion. When it flows over the Mediterranean, it cools and evaporates the water near the surface. This does two things: it cools off the water, making it denser, and it converts more liquid water into gaseous water, leaving behind the salt, which again makes the surface water more dense. Now the surface water is denser than the water underneath and it drops, creating a convection cycle. Due to how the Mediterranean circulates, this convective cycling can aid the circulation and mix around the nutrients in the column of water with ecological consequences.

My PhD thesis is determining quantitatively how the Mistral wind influences the deep convection process in the Gulf of Lion. Below is a recent presentation I gave during our bimonthly InTro meetings.