A primitive-equation model has been used to investigate the meteorologically-driven circulation of the
Bay of Algeciras. It is shown that the mean circulation of Atlantic Water (AW) is characterized by an anticyclonic cell, while Mediterranean Water (MW) follows a preferred cyclonic pathway. Meteorological
forcing distorts substantially the AW mean circulation pattern, and only modulates that of the MW.
Winds drive a vertical circulation cell in the Atlantic layer consistent with Ekman dynamics, whereas
the horizontal circulation pattern is markedly dependent on the swift Atlantic jet entering the Mediterranean and changes from clearly anticyclonic to cyclonic as the jet separates or approaches the strait’s
northern shoreline. This occurs through atmospheric pressure-driven acceleration/deceleration of the
jet, in agreement with internal hydraulics theory predictions. It is also found that the renewal of AW is
largely modulated by tides, with meteorological forcing playing a secondary role. The opposite applies
to the renewal of MW.
