Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation
The exchange of water masses across the Antarctic continental shelf break regulates the export of dense shelf waters to depth as well as the transport of warm, mid-depth waters towards ice shelves and glacial grounding lines. The penetration of the warmer mid-depth waters past the shelf break has be...
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ftcaltechauth:oai:authors.library.caltech.edu:50151 2023-05-15T14:04:56+02:00 Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation Thompson, Andrew F. Heywood, Karen J. Schmidtko, Sunke Steward, Andrew L. 2014-12 application/pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/50151/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/50151/4/ngeo2289-s1.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141001-135636412 en eng Nature Publishing Group https://authors.library.caltech.edu/50151/4/ngeo2289-s1.pdf Thompson, Andrew F. and Heywood, Karen J. and Schmidtko, Sunke and Steward, Andrew L. (2014) Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation. Nature Geoscience, 7 (12). pp. 879-884. ISSN 1752-0894. doi:10.1038/ngeo2289. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141001-135636412 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141001-135636412> other Article PeerReviewed 2014 ftcaltechauth https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2289 2021-11-11T19:00:03Z The exchange of water masses across the Antarctic continental shelf break regulates the export of dense shelf waters to depth as well as the transport of warm, mid-depth waters towards ice shelves and glacial grounding lines. The penetration of the warmer mid-depth waters past the shelf break has been implicated in the pronounced loss of ice shelf mass over much of west Antarctica. In high-resolution, regional circulation models, the Antarctic shelf break hosts an energetic mesoscale eddy field, but observations that capture this mesoscale variability have been limited. Here we show, using hydrographic data collected from ocean gliders, that eddy-induced transport is a primary contributor to mass and property fluxes across the slope. Measurements along ten cross-shelf hydrographic sections show a complex velocity structure and a stratification consistent with an onshore eddy mass flux. We show that the eddy transport and the surface wind-driven transport make comparable contributions to the total overturning circulation. Eddy-induced transport is concentrated in the warm, intermediate layers away from frictional boundaries. We conclude that understanding mesoscale dynamics will be critical for constraining circumpolar heat fluxes and future rates of retreat of Antarctic ice shelves. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves West Antarctica Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctica Nature Geoscience 7 12 879 884 |
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Caltech Authors (California Institute of Technology) |
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language |
English |
description |
The exchange of water masses across the Antarctic continental shelf break regulates the export of dense shelf waters to depth as well as the transport of warm, mid-depth waters towards ice shelves and glacial grounding lines. The penetration of the warmer mid-depth waters past the shelf break has been implicated in the pronounced loss of ice shelf mass over much of west Antarctica. In high-resolution, regional circulation models, the Antarctic shelf break hosts an energetic mesoscale eddy field, but observations that capture this mesoscale variability have been limited. Here we show, using hydrographic data collected from ocean gliders, that eddy-induced transport is a primary contributor to mass and property fluxes across the slope. Measurements along ten cross-shelf hydrographic sections show a complex velocity structure and a stratification consistent with an onshore eddy mass flux. We show that the eddy transport and the surface wind-driven transport make comparable contributions to the total overturning circulation. Eddy-induced transport is concentrated in the warm, intermediate layers away from frictional boundaries. We conclude that understanding mesoscale dynamics will be critical for constraining circumpolar heat fluxes and future rates of retreat of Antarctic ice shelves. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thompson, Andrew F. Heywood, Karen J. Schmidtko, Sunke Steward, Andrew L. |
spellingShingle |
Thompson, Andrew F. Heywood, Karen J. Schmidtko, Sunke Steward, Andrew L. Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation |
author_facet |
Thompson, Andrew F. Heywood, Karen J. Schmidtko, Sunke Steward, Andrew L. |
author_sort |
Thompson, Andrew F. |
title |
Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation |
title_short |
Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation |
title_full |
Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation |
title_fullStr |
Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation |
title_sort |
eddy transport as a key component of the antarctic overturning circulation |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/50151/ https://authors.library.caltech.edu/50151/4/ngeo2289-s1.pdf https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141001-135636412 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves West Antarctica |
op_relation |
https://authors.library.caltech.edu/50151/4/ngeo2289-s1.pdf Thompson, Andrew F. and Heywood, Karen J. and Schmidtko, Sunke and Steward, Andrew L. (2014) Eddy transport as a key component of the Antarctic overturning circulation. Nature Geoscience, 7 (12). pp. 879-884. ISSN 1752-0894. doi:10.1038/ngeo2289. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141001-135636412 <https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20141001-135636412> |
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other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2289 |
container_title |
Nature Geoscience |
container_volume |
7 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
879 |
op_container_end_page |
884 |
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1766276382026891264 |