Seasonal evolution of hydrographic properties in the Antarctic circumpolar current at 1701W during 1997–1998

• Main Authors: J. M. Morrisona, S. Gaurinb, L. A. Codispotib, T. Takahashic, F. J. Millerod, W. D. Gardnere, M. J. Richardsone
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Antarctic; New Zealand; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.587.8429; http://www.geo.umass.edu/grads/gaurin/my_pubs/Morrisonetal2001_seasonal_evolution_hydrographic_properties_in_Antarctic_circumpolar_current_at_170W_1997_1998.pdf

This paper discusses the seasonal evolution of the hydrographic and biogeochemical properties in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) during the US Joint Global Ocean Flux (JGOFS) Antarctic Environment and Southern Ocean Process Study (AESOPS) in 1997–1998. The location of the study region south of New Zealand along B1701W was selected based on the zonal orientation and meridional separation of the physical and chemical fronts found in that region. Here we endeavor to describe the seasonal changes of the macronutrients, fluorescence chlorophyll, particulate organic carbon (POC), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the upper 400m of the ACC during the evolution of the seasonal phytoplankton bloom found in this area. While the ACC has extreme variability in the meridional sense (due to fronts, etc.), it appears to be actually quite uniform in the zonal sense. This is reflected by the fact that a good deal of the seasonal zonal changes in nutrients distributions at 1701W follow a pattern that reflects what would be expected if the changes are associated with seasonal biological productivity. Also at 1701W, the productivity of the upper waters does not appear to be limited by availability of phosphate or nitrate. While there is a significant decrease (or uptake) of inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and silicate associated with the seasonal phytoplankton bloom, none of the nutrients, except perhaps silicate