Cape Verde Frontal Zone in summer 2017: lateral transports of mass, dissolved oxygen and inorganic nutrients

• Published in: Ocean Science
• Main Authors: Burgoa, Nadia, Machín, Francisco, Rodríguez-Santana, Ángel, Marrero-Díaz, Ángeles, Álvarez-Salgado, Xosé Antón, Fernández-Castro, B., Gelado-Caballero, María Dolores, Arístegui, Javier
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: European Geosciences Union 2021
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/244780; https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-769-2021

20 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables The circulation patterns in the confluence of the North Atlantic subtropical and tropical gyres delimited by the Cape Verde Front (CVF) were examined during a field cruise in summer 2017. We collected hydrographic data, dissolved oxygen (O2) and inorganic nutrients along the perimeter of a closed box embracing the Cape Verde Frontal Zone (CVFZ). The detailed spatial (horizontal and vertical) distribution of water masses, O2 and inorganic nutrients in the CVF was analyzed, allowing for the independent estimation of the transports of these properties in the subtropical and tropical domains down to 2000 m. Overall, at surface and central levels, a net westward transport of 3.76 Sv was observed, whereas at intermediate levels, a net 3 Sv transport northward was obtained. We observed O2 and inorganic nutrient imbalances in the domain consistent with O2 consumption and inorganic nutrient production by organic matter remineralization, resulting in a net transport of inorganic nutrients to the ocean interior by the circulation patterns This research has been financially supported by the ongoing E-IMPACT project (grant no. PID2019-109084RB-C2). This work was carried out in the framework of the FLUXES project (grant no. CTM2015-69392-C3-3-R), funded by the Spanish National Research Program and the European Regional Development Fund (MINECO/FEDER) Peer reviewed