Impacts of Climate Change on OceanFrontal Ecosystems (ClimaFront)

TÜBİTAK Projesi, 2236 - Uluslararası Deneyimli Araştırmacı Dolaşımı Destek Programı, 2022 - 2024

Proje Türü: TÜBİTAK Projesi
Destek Programı: 2236 - Uluslararası Deneyimli Araştırmacı Dolaşımı Destek Programı
Başlama Tarihi: Kasım 2022
Bitiş Tarihi: Nisan 2024

Proje Özeti

Oceanic fronts are narrow zones of horizontal gradients in water properties that separate wider areas with distinct water masses or vertical structures. Occurring across diverse spatial and temporal scales, these fronts can be formed through various physical processes, including shelf-break, water mass, and coastal buoyancy fronts. Regardless of their physical origin, fronts often feature sharp chemical and biological gradients. Convergence at these zones typically elevates primary production, supporting rich marine life and generating a vital sink for atmospheric carbon—demonstrating the critical importance of ocean fronts in the global carbon cycle and climate regulation.

The Mediterranean is a commercially vital, semi-enclosed regional sea highly vulnerable to climate change. To inform effective policy and mitigation strategies, understanding its frontal systems is essential. The ClimaFront project addressed this knowledge gap in the Levantine Basin of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea through a data-driven approach, providing a comprehensive understanding of these systems to both the scientific community and policy makers.

The specific objectives achieved by ClimaFront were to:

Identify key fronts within the Levantine Basin.
Determine the spatial and temporal variability of these regional fronts.
Demonstrate the implications of frontal dynamics for the local ecosystem.
Understand the consequences of cross-frontal transport for shelf and offshore waters.
Present a robust, data-driven approach to analyzing ocean frontal ecosystems.
Provide a preliminary framework for managing frontal ecosystems in the region.

To accomplish this, ClimaFront utilized a combination of satellite remote sensing, in-situ observations, and Lagrangian modeling. Fronts were identified by applying state-of-the-art frontal detection algorithms to high-resolution (~1km) satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data. Following automated detection, statistical analysis revealed the spatial and temporal variability of these features. The project then leveraged in-situ measurements to investigate specific frontal impacts, such as cross-shelf exchange and stratification. Finally, geostrophic flow was calculated from satellite altimetry data ($0.125^\circ$ resolution) and utilized in Lagrangian particle tracking simulations to demonstrate the fate of biota near these frontal regions.

Ultimately, ClimaFront established a functional framework for using automated detection algorithms in the management of frontal ecosystems. By deploying and evaluating various in-situ platforms, the project identified the most effective methods for observing frontal systems and offered recommendations for future observational infrastructure. As the first detailed investigation of fronts in the Levantine Basin, ClimaFront provided a foundational basis for future sub-mesoscale studies in the region.

The project's outcomes have motivated new inter-disciplinary initiatives across oceanography, meteorology, fisheries sciences, and pollution management. Furthermore, ClimaFront successfully contributed to regional and international understandings of climate change impacts on marine systems, provided valuable data to policy makers, and actively raised awareness regarding ocean literacy, climate change, and marine autonomy.