Deep and Bottom Water of the Weddell Sea's Western Rim

Oceanographic observations from the Ice Station Weddell 1 show that the western rim of the Weddell Gyre contributes to Weddell Sea Bottom Water. A thin (< 300 meters), highly oxygenated benthic layer is composed of a low-salinity type of bottom water overlying a high-salinity component. This comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Gordon, Arnold L., Huber, Bruce A., Hellmer, Hartmut H., Ffield, Amy
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1993
Subjects:
Weddell
Weddell Sea
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.262.5130.95
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.262.5130.95
Description
Summary:Oceanographic observations from the Ice Station Weddell 1 show that the western rim of the Weddell Gyre contributes to Weddell Sea Bottom Water. A thin (< 300 meters), highly oxygenated benthic layer is composed of a low-salinity type of bottom water overlying a high-salinity component. This complex layering disappears near 66°S because of vertical mixing and further inflow from the continental margin. The bottom water flowing out of the western rim is a blend of the two types. Additionally, the data show that a narrow band of warmer Weddell Deep Water hugged the continental margin as it flowed into the western rim, providing the continental margin with the salt required for bottom-water production.

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