banniere_EGYPT

EGYPT  (Eddies[1] and GYres[2] Paths Tracking)

Programme pour l'étude de la circulation générale
 Program to study the general circulation
dans le bassin oriental de la Méditerranée
 in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean
et des phénomènes de moyenne échelle
and the mesoscale phenomena
(tourbillons) qui la perturbent
(eddies) that disturb it

1. Rationale   
    The main objective of EGYPT is to investigate the circulation of the water masses in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean, which, strangely enough, is still debated ~100 years after the first circulation schema was drawn by Nielsen (in 1912).
    Indeed we have proposed a new schema of the surface circulation, based up on the analysis of infrared satellite imagery and the few in situ data available (short version on the general circulation, or detailed images times serie analysis; see also the poster), which differs considerably form the widely-accepted one (from the POEM Experiment). We have also proposed schema of the intermediate and deep circulations, mainly inferred from our experience in the western basin due to the lack of relevant data (Millot and Taupier-Letage, 2005).
    The main point is that we describe a circulation which is alongslope and counter-clockwise at basin scale, with an intense mesoscale activity in the southern part (libyo-egyptian eddies). This is conforted by the simulations resulting from high-resolution models  (e.g. Alhammoud et al., 2005 ; Béranger et al., 2005) developed at LODYC.
   
    The strategy is to combine both observations (in situ and remotely sensed, see document for shiptime proposal request) and model simulations, to be complemented by process studies for improved understanding.
  EGITTO is the Italian joint observational program to study the circulation in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea and to confirm (or not) the various circulation patterns published in the literature based on in-situ observations, remote sensing data and models, using low-cost satellite-tracked drifters.
EGITTO : http://poseidon.ogs.trieste.it/doga/sire/egitto/index.html 
Report of the EGITTO-1 campaign (nov. 2005)



2.  EGYPT field activities 
EGYPT-3 not scheduled (review)
mar. 2007: all the moorings have been recovered: the EGYPT-3 campaign will be dedicated to a CTD survey
jan. 2007: EGYPT-3: proposal for shiptime in 2008 to recover the moorings and make a CTD survey (in french; obsolete by March 2007)
EGYPT-1 : campaign  on the FS Poseidon, apr. 2006 (condensed report)
EGYPT-0:  valorisation du transit Toulon-Port Said de l'Atalante, jan. 2006 (in french)



2007:
New!: Some instruments were recovered and returned by the Egyptian Navy in nov. 2007
CALL FOR HELP: SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS LOST
EGYPT-2 CRUISE REPORT (29 March 2007) :all moorings lines have been recovered
EGYPT-2 dossier de preparation  (OBSOLETE)
EGYPT-2: transit opportunity from Le Pirée to Toulon, mar.-apr. 2007 , sampling strategy plan (in french)

Some results: rapport EGYPT -GMMC (in french)

2006:
EGYPT-1 : campaign  on the FS Poseidon, apr. 2006
EGYPT-0:  valorisation du transit Toulon-Port Said de l'Atalante, jan. 2006 (in french)

2005:                                 
EGITTO-1 campaign :"OGS Explora", during a transit from Trieste to Port-Said, nov. 2005

3. Framework
EGYPT integrates several proposals (mainly due to scattered/low-level funding sources):
EGYPT-P (french national program PATOM: Program ATmosphère Océan à Multi-échelles
2006: PATOM has become LEFE _ IDAO )
EGYPT-MC (french national program GMMC: Groupe de Mission MERCATOR-CORIOLIS)

Proposal for international scientific cooperation from the Region PACA (early and late 2005)
Bi-lateral cooperation proposal: Egypto-French PAI IMHOTEP late 2005 ( not granted )
 Bi-lateral cooperation proposal: Italy -France PAI Gallileo 2006 (pending)

EGITTO is the Italian joint observational program to study the circulation in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea and to confirm (or not) the various circulation patterns published in the literature based on in-situ observations, remote sensing data and models, using low-cost satellite-tracked drifters.
EGITTO : http://poseidon.ogs.trieste.it/doga/sire/egitto/index.html 
4. Informations:
APR. 2007: CALL FOR HELP: SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS LOST
FEB 2007: ALERT: EGYPT moorings adrift
 jan. 2007: EGYPT-3: proposal for shiptime in 2008 (in french)
proposal GMMC 2006,  pending (in french)
 proposal EGYPT proposal for IDAO 2006 , (condensed version)  (in french )   
proposal GMMC 2005, évaluation
proposal PATOM 2005,  évaluation

[1] Gyres are circulation features induced by wind and/or thermohaline forcing and/or topographic features (such as straits) that are clearly constrained by the bathymetry (at basin and subbasin scales), and thus do not propagate. They are characterised as clockwise in the Alboran (mainly due to the orientation of the Strait of Gibraltar) and everywhere else as counterclockwise (due to the Coriolis effect). Parts of the gyres can be unstable.

[2] Eddies are phenomena generated either by processes that destabilise alongslope currents (such as the Algerian Current) or by the wind stress curl locally induced by orographic effects (as described later on). They are characterised as cyclonic / anticyclonic, not constrained by the bathymetry and can move. Eddies are mesoscale (some 10s to a few 100s km) features that will be characterised as small (up to ~50 km), medium (50-150 km) or large (150-250 km).