A sub-surface eddy at inertial current layer in the Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean

• Main Authors: Jiuxin, Shi, Jinping, Zhao, Yutian, Jiao, Yong, Cao
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 2007
• Subjects: Oceans; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Canada; Chukchi Shelf; Advances in Polar Science; canada basin; Chukchi; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2339/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2339/1/A200702004.pdf

An Arctic Ocean eddy in sub-surface layer is analyzed in this paper by use of temperature, salinity and current profiles data obtained at an ice camp in the Canada Basin during the second Chinese Arctic Expedition in summer of 2003. In the vertical temperature section, the eddy show itself as an isolated cold water block at depth of 60m with a minimum temperature of -1.5°C, about 0.5°C colder than the ambient water. Isopycnals in the eddy form a pattern of convex, which indicates the eddy is anticyclonic. Although maximum velocity near 0.4m s(-1) occurs in the current records observed synchronously, the current pattern is far away from a typical eddy. By further analysis, inertial frequency oscillations with amplitudes comparable with the eddy velocity are found in the sub-surface layer currents. After filter the inertial current and mean current, an axisymmetric current pattern of an eddy with maximum velocity radius of 5km is obtained. The analysis of the T-S characteristics of the eddy core water and its ambient waters supports the conclusion that the eddy was formed on the Chukchi Shelf and migrated northeastward into the northern Canada Basin.