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Distribution of <scp>U</scp> pper <scp>C</scp> ircumpolar <scp>D</scp> eep <scp>W</scp> ater on the warming continental shelf of the <scp>W</scp> est <scp>A</scp> ntarctic <scp>P</scp> eninsula
- Source :
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 122:5306-5315
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2017.
-
Abstract
- We use autonomous underwater vehicles to characterize the spatial distribution of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) on the continental shelf of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and present the first near-synoptic measurements of mesoscale features (eddies) containing UCDW on the WAP. Thirty-three subsurface eddies with widths on the order of 10 km were detected during four glider deployments. Each eddy contributed an average of 5.8 x 1016 J to the sub-pycnocline waters, where a cross-shelf heat flux of 1.37 x 1019 J yr−1 is required to balance the diffusive loss of heat to overlying winter water and to the near-coastal waters. Approximately two-thirds of the heat coming onto the shelf diffuses across the pycnocline and one-third diffuses to the coastal waters; long-term warming of the sub-pycnocline waters is a small residual of this balance. Sixty percent of the profiles that contained UCDW were part of a coherent eddy. Between 20 and 53% of the lateral onshore heat flux to the WAP can be attributed to eddies entering Marguerite Trough, a feature in the southern part of the shelf which is known to be an important conduit for UCDW. A northern trough is identified as additional important location for eddy intrusion.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Pycnocline
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Continental shelf
010604 marine biology & hydrobiology
Mesoscale meteorology
Oceanography
01 natural sciences
Geophysics
Heat flux
Eddy
Space and Planetary Science
Geochemistry and Petrology
Peninsula
Circumpolar deep water
Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Trough (meteorology)
Geology
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 21699291 and 21699275
- Volume :
- 122
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........ed33190aea8b838cd39b55f2c11c88e2