Drifter observations in the Mediterranean Sea between 1986 and 2012 have allowed study of important aspects of the surface dynamics in most areas of this marginal sea, including: interannual and seasonal variabilities; basin, subbasin, and mesoscale circulation features; inertial and tidal currents; coastal circulation; and relative dispersion by surface waters. This paper reviews selected important studies, carried out in the last two decades or still in progress, that used or are using Mediterranean drifter observations and ancillary remotely sensed observations (satellite altimetry and high-frequency coastal radars).

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Centurioni, L.R., J.C. Ohlmann, and P.P. Niiler. 2008. Permanent meanders in the California Current System. Journal of Physical Oceanography 38:1,690–1,710, https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JPO3746.1.

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Gačić, M., G. Civitarese, G.L. Eusebi Borzelli, V. Kovacevic, P-M. Poulain, A. Theocharis, M. Menna, A. Catucci, and N. Zarokanellos. 2011. On the relationship between the decadal oscillations of the Northern Ionian Sea and the salinity distributions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Journal of Geophysical Research 116, C12002, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JC007280.

Gerin R., and A. Bussani. 2011. Nuova procedura di editing automatico dei dati drifter impiegata su oceano per MyOcean e prodotti web in near-real time e delay mode. Technical Report OGS 2011/55 OGA 20 SIRE, OGS, Trieste, Italy, 13 pp.

Gerin, R., P.-M. Poulain, I. Taupier-Letage, C. Millot, S. Ben Ismail, and C. Sammari. 2009. Surface circulation in the Eastern Mediterranean using Lagrangian drifters (2005–2007). Ocean Science 5:559–574, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-5-559-2009.

Griffa, A., A. Haza, T.M. Özgökmen, A. Molcard, V. Taillandier, K. Schroeder, Y. Chang, and P.-M. Poulain. 2013. Investigating transport pathways in the ocean. Deep Sea Research Part II 86:81–95, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2012.07.031.

Hansen, D.V., and P.-M. Poulain. 1996. Quality control and interpolations of WOCE-TOGA drifter data. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 13:900–909, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1996)013<0900:QCAIOW>2.0.CO;2.

Haza, A.C., A. Griffa, P. Martin, A. Molcard, T.M. Özgökmen, A.C. Poje, R. Barbanti, J.W. Book, P.-M. Poulain, M. Rixen, and P. Zanasca. 2007. Model-based directed drifter launches in the Adriatic Sea: Results from the DART experiment. Geophysical Research Letters 34, L10605, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL029634.

Haza, A., T. Özgökmen, A. Griffa, A. Molcard, P.-M. Poulain, and G. Peggion. 2010. Transport properties in small-scale coastal flows: Relative dispersion from VHF radar measurements in the Gulf of La Spezia. Ocean Dynamics 60:861–882, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-010-0301-7.

Isern-Fontanet, J., E. García-Ladona, and J. Font. 2006. Vortices of the Mediterranean Sea: An altimetric perspective. Journal of Physical Oceanography 36:87–103, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO2826.1.

Lacorata, G., E. Aurell, and A. Vulpiani. 2001. Drifter dispersion in the Adriatic Sea: Lagrangian data and chaotic model. Annales Geophysicae 19:121–129.

Lumpkin, R., and M. Pazos. 2007. Measuring surface currents with SVP drifters: The instrument, its data and some results. Pp. 39–67 in Lagrangian Analysis and Prediction of Coastal and Ocean Dynamics. A. Griffa, A.D. Kirwan Jr., A.J. Mariano, T. Özgökmen, and H.T. Rossby, eds, Cambridge University Press.

Mauerhan, T.A. 2000. Drifter observations of the Mediterranean Sea surface circulation. Master’s Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, 111 pp.

Menna, M., P.-M. Poulain, G. Zodiatis, and I. Gertman. 2012. On the surface circulation of the Levantine sub-basin derived from Lagrangian drifters and satellite altimetry data. Deep Sea Research Part I 65:46–58, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2012.02.008.

Molcard, A., P.M. Poulain, P. Forget, A. Griffa, Y. Barbin, J. Gaggelli, J.C. De Maistre, and M. Rixen. 2009. Comparison between VHF radar observations and data from drifter clusters in the Gulf of La Spezia (Mediterranean Sea). Journal of Marine Systems 78:S79–S89, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2009.01.012.

Niiler, P.P., N.A. Maximenko, G.G. Panteleev, T. Yamagata, and D.B. Olson. 2003. Near-surface dynamical structure of the Kuroshio Extension. Journal of Geophysical Research 108, 3193, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JC001461.

Niiler, P.P., A. Sybrandy, K. Bi, P.-M. Poulain, and D. Bitterman. 1995. Measurements of the water-following capability of holey-sock and TRISTAR drifters. Deep-Sea Research Part I 42:1,951–1,964, https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0637(95)00076-3.

Poulain, P.-M. 1999. Drifter observations of surface circulation in the Adriatic Sea between December 1994 and March 1996. Journal of Marine Systems 20:231–253, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-7963(98)00084-0.

Poulain, P.-M. 2001. Adriatic Sea surface circulation as derived from drifter data between 1990 and 1999. Journal of Marine Systems 29:3–32, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-7963(01)00007-0.

Poulain, P.-M. In press. Tidal currents in the Adriatic as measured by surface drifters. Journal of Geophysical Research.

Poulain, P.-M., R. Barbanti, R. Cecco, C. Fayes, E. Mauri, L. Ursella, and P. Zanasca. 2004. Mediterranean surface drifter database: 2 June 1986 to 11 November 1999. Technical Report 75/2004/OGA/31. OGS, Trieste, Italy (CD-ROM).

Poulain, P.-M., R. Gerin, E. Mauri, and R. Pennel. 2009. Wind effects on drogued and undrogued drifters in the Eastern Mediterranean. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 26:1,144–1,156, https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JTECHO618.1.

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Rio, M.-H., and F. Hernandez. 2003. High-frequency response of wind-driven currents measured by drifting buoys and altimetry over the world ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research 108, 3283, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JC001655.

Rio, M.-H., P.-M. Poulain, A. Pascual, E. Mauri, G. Larnicol, and R. Santoleri. 2007. A mean dynamic topography of the Mediterranean Sea computed from altimetric data, in-situ measurements and a general circulation model. Journal of Marine Systems 65:484–508, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2005.02.006.

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Schroeder, K., J. Chiggiato, A.C. Haza, A. Griffa, T.M. Özgökmen, P. Zanasca, A. Molcard, M. Borghini, P.-M. Poulain, R. Gerin, and others. 2012. Targeted Lagrangian sampling of submesoscale dispersion at a coastal frontal zone. Geophysical Research Letters 39, L11608, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051879.

Schroeder, K., A.C. Haza, A. Griffa, T.M. Özgökmen, P.-M. Poulain., R. Gerin, G. Peggion, and M. Rixen. 2011. Relative dispersion in the Ligure-Provençal basin: From sub-mescoscale to mesoscale. Deep-Sea Research Part I 58:209–228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.004.

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Sybrandy, A.L., and P.P. Niiler, 1991. WOCE/TOGA Lagrangian drifter construction manual. SIO Ref. 91/6, WOCE Rep. No. 63. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA, 58 pp.

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Ursella, L., P.-M. Poulain, and R.P. Signell. 2006. Surface drifter derived circulation in the northern and middle Adriatic Sea: Response to wind regime and season. Journal of Geophysical Research 111, C03S04, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JC003177.

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