Recent dense water formation in the Med western basin, as observed by HYDROCHANGES

Initiated in 2002, HydroChanges (HC) is one of the eight international programs supported by CIESM. It consists in a network of accurate autonomous SBE37 CTDs deployed in selected Mediterranean key-sites, with a typical 1-hr sampling interval. In order to make deployments/recoveries as easy as possible, even from small ships, the CTDs are generally set on short moorings, so that they sample at 10-20 m above the seafloor, most often associated with a current-meter. Moorings are serviced locally by individual partners every 1-2 years. Although the primary goal of HC is to monitor long-term variability, we illustrate in this paper the relevance of HC strategy also for accurately detecting, characterizing and monitoring effects of Dense Water Formation (DWF) processes in the western basin of the Med.