Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection
During November and December 1983, two anticyclonic eddies were observed west of the Agulhas Retroflection, apparently spawned at the retroflection. The western eddy, centered 300 kilometers southwest of Cape Town, has a winter cooled core encircled by warm Indian Ocean water. Between Cape Town and...
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American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
1985
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craaas:10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 2024-06-23T07:54:51+00:00 Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection Gordon, Arnold L. 1985 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 en eng American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science volume 227, issue 4690, page 1030-1033 ISSN 0036-8075 1095-9203 journal-article 1985 craaas https://doi.org/10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 2024-06-13T04:01:16Z During November and December 1983, two anticyclonic eddies were observed west of the Agulhas Retroflection, apparently spawned at the retroflection. The western eddy, centered 300 kilometers southwest of Cape Town, has a winter cooled core encircled by warm Indian Ocean water. Between Cape Town and the "Cape Town Eddy" is a net geostrophic transport of Indian Ocean thermocline water (14 × 10 6 cubic meters per second) into the South Atlantic Ocean. This circulation configuration, similar to that observed by earlier researchers, suggests that Indian-Atlantic thermocline exchange is a common occurrence. Such a warmwater link between the Atlantic and Indian oceans would strongly influence global climate patterns. The Indian Ocean water is warmer than the adjacent South Atlantic water and thus represents a heat input of 2.3 × 10 13 to 47 × 10 13 watts into the Atlantic. The large uncertainty arises from the unknown partition between two possible routes for the return flow from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean: cooler South Atlantic thermocline water or much colder North Atlantic Deep Water. In either case, interocean mass and heat exchange of thermocline water at the Agulhas Retroflection is a distinct likelihood. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Deep Water North Atlantic South Atlantic Ocean AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Indian Science 227 4690 1030 1033 |
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Open Polar |
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AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) |
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craaas |
language |
English |
description |
During November and December 1983, two anticyclonic eddies were observed west of the Agulhas Retroflection, apparently spawned at the retroflection. The western eddy, centered 300 kilometers southwest of Cape Town, has a winter cooled core encircled by warm Indian Ocean water. Between Cape Town and the "Cape Town Eddy" is a net geostrophic transport of Indian Ocean thermocline water (14 × 10 6 cubic meters per second) into the South Atlantic Ocean. This circulation configuration, similar to that observed by earlier researchers, suggests that Indian-Atlantic thermocline exchange is a common occurrence. Such a warmwater link between the Atlantic and Indian oceans would strongly influence global climate patterns. The Indian Ocean water is warmer than the adjacent South Atlantic water and thus represents a heat input of 2.3 × 10 13 to 47 × 10 13 watts into the Atlantic. The large uncertainty arises from the unknown partition between two possible routes for the return flow from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean: cooler South Atlantic thermocline water or much colder North Atlantic Deep Water. In either case, interocean mass and heat exchange of thermocline water at the Agulhas Retroflection is a distinct likelihood. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gordon, Arnold L. |
spellingShingle |
Gordon, Arnold L. Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection |
author_facet |
Gordon, Arnold L. |
author_sort |
Gordon, Arnold L. |
title |
Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection |
title_short |
Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection |
title_full |
Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection |
title_fullStr |
Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection |
title_full_unstemmed |
Indian-Atlantic Transfer of Thermocline Water at the Agulhas Retroflection |
title_sort |
indian-atlantic transfer of thermocline water at the agulhas retroflection |
publisher |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
publishDate |
1985 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 |
geographic |
Indian |
geographic_facet |
Indian |
genre |
North Atlantic Deep Water North Atlantic South Atlantic Ocean |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Deep Water North Atlantic South Atlantic Ocean |
op_source |
Science volume 227, issue 4690, page 1030-1033 ISSN 0036-8075 1095-9203 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.227.4690.1030 |
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Science |
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227 |
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4690 |
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1030 |
op_container_end_page |
1033 |
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1802647149236715520 |