الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The Mediterranean Sea is a landlocked sea with limited exchange with the world ocean, an active deep overturning circulation, a shallow circulation cell and a complex upper layer circulation with several permanent and quasi-permanent eddies. The Mediterranean Sea exports intermediate depth water to the Atlantic Ocean and thereby directly, and significantly,m influences the oceanographic conditions there. Also, due to the limited exchange of properties with the world ocean and the internal transformation processes, it has been suggested that itcan be considered a “laboratory” of a “mini-ocean”, representing processes that take place at alarger scale in the world ocean (2, 3). The Mediterranean Sea is not in steady state with sporadic deep water formation events and is potentially sensitive to climatic changes. Much remains to be known with regard to the biogeochemistry, the dynamics of the circulation andventilation of the Mediterranean system, the connection between circulation, biogeochemistryand biological activity, and the possible implications for climate relevant feedback mechanisms. Monitoring and modeling the evolution of the dynamics of the Mediterranean Sea and the impact on biogeochemistry is an essential part of its observational system. This seems particularly relevant in light of the significant changes that have been observed during recent decades.