@article{fdi:010062671,
  title = {{D}efining {M}editerranean and {B}lack {S}ea biogeochemical subprovinces and synthetic ocean indicators using mesoscale oceanographic features},
  author = {{N}ieblas, {A}. {E}. and {D}rushka, {K}. and {R}eygondeau, {G}. and {R}ossi, {V}. and {D}emarcq, {H}erv{\'e} and {D}ubroca, {L}. and {B}onhommeau, {S}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he {M}editerranean and {B}lack {S}eas are semi-enclosed basins characterized by high environmental variability and growing anthropogenic pressure. {T}his has led to an increasing need for a bioregionalization of the oceanic environment at local and regional scales that can be used for managerial applications as a geographical reference. {W}e aim to identify biogeochemical subprovinces within this domain, and develop synthetic indices of the key oceanographic dynamics of each subprovince to quantify baselines from which to assess variability and change. {T}o do this, we compile a data set of 101 months (2002-2010) of a variety of both "classical' (i.e., sea surface temperature, surface chlorophyll-a, and bathymetry) and "mesoscale' (i.e., eddy kinetic energy, finite-size {L}yapunov exponents, and surface frontal gradients) ocean features that we use to characterize the surface ocean variability. {W}e employ a k-means clustering algorithm to objectively define biogeochemical subprovinces based on classical features, and, for the first time, on mesoscale features, and on a combination of both classical and mesoscale features. {P}rincipal components analysis is then performed on the oceanographic variables to define integrative indices to monitor the environmental changes within each resultant subprovince at monthly resolutions. {U}sing both the classical and mesoscale features, we find five biogeochemical subprovinces for the {M}editerranean and {B}lack {S}eas. {I}nterestingly, the use of mesoscale variables contributes highly in the delineation of the open ocean. {T}he first axis of the principal component analysis is explained primarily by classical ocean features and the second axis is explained by mesoscale features. {B}iogeochemical subprovinces identified by the present study can be useful within the {E}uropean management framework as an objective geographical framework of the {M}editerranean and {B}lack {S}eas, and the synthetic ocean indicators developed here can be used to monitor variability and long-term change.},
  keywords = {{MEDITERRANEE} ; {MER} {NOIRE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}los {O}ne},
  volume = {9},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {e111251},
  ISSN = {1932-6203},
  year = {2014},
  DOI = {10.1371/journal.pone.0111251},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010062671},
}