Alboran Sea
1548691
225582828
2008-07-14T12:27:31Z
Vincnet
7390344
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[[Image:Strait of gibraltar.jpg|right|300px|thumb|]]
The '''Alboran Sea''' is the westernmost portion of the [[Mediterranean Sea]], lying between [[Spain]] on the north and [[Morocco]] on the south. The [[Strait of Gibraltar]], which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic.
Surface currents in the Alboran Sea flow eastward, bringing water from the Atlantic into Mediterranean; deeper subsurface currents flow westward, carrying saltier Mediterranean water into the Atlantic. There is often a rotary circulation, also known as a "gyre", in the Alboran Sea as a result of this exchange of water. The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea is habitat for the largest population of [[Bottlenose Dolphin]]s in the western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of [[harbour porpoise]]s in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for [[Loggerhead Sea Turtle]]s in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including [[sardine]]s and [[swordfish]]. In [[2003]], the [[World Wildlife Fund]] raised concerns about the widespread [[drift net]] fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals.
Several small islands dot the sea, including the [[Isla de Alborán]]. Most are controlled by Spain, including those closer to the Moroccan shore.
An arc of mountains, known as the Gibraltar Arc, wraps around the northern, western, and southern sides of the Alboran Sea. The Gibraltar Arc is made up of the [[Baetic Cordillera]] of southern Spain and the [[Rif Mountains]] of Morocco. These mountains, known to ecologists as the '''Baetic-Rifan complex''', are one of the Mediterranean's [[biodiversity hotspot]]s; like the Alboran sea, the Baetic-Rifan complex is a transition between the Mediterranean and Atlantic ([[Macaronesia]]n) ecologies. The moderating influence of the Atlantic has allowed many species in the Baetic and Rif mountains to survive the climatic fluctuations of the last few million years that caused them to become extinct elsewhere around the Mediterranean basin.
[[Category:Marginal seas of the Mediterranean]]
[[Category:Seas]]
[[be:Мора Альбаран]]
[[ca:Mar d'Alboran]]
[[et:Alboráni meri]]
[[es:Mar de Alborán]]
[[eu:Alboran itsasoa]]
[[ko:알보란 해]]
[[it:Mare di Alborán]]
[[lv:Alboranas jūra]]
[[nl:Alboránzee]]
[[no:Alboransjøen]]
[[pl:Morze Alborańskie]]
[[pt:Mar de Alborão]]
[[ru:Море Альборан]]
[[tr:Alboran Denizi]]
[[uk:Море Альборан]]
[[en:Mer d'Alboran]]