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Remotely sensed ocean chlorophyll concentration is related to the presence of phytoplankton in the upper ocean layers. Its spatial and temporal variability significantly differs from region to region, originating from both purely ecological factors and local environmental conditions (e.g. species involved, grazing, light and nutrient availability, temperature, etc.). As a result, various physical processes are known to significantly affect chlorophyll distribution especially in coastal areas. Among these, wind-driven upwelling, river discharge, cross-shelf exchanges related to local dynamics and horizontal advection due to larger scale dynamics are often invoked as dominant mechanisms. In this work, we investigate which physical process mostly contributes to the phytoplankton variability in the Channel of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea), based on satellite estimates of surface chlorophyll (CHL) concentration, kinetic energy (KE …