Generation of the Southern Ocean pycnocline by sea ice-ocean interactions ...

• Main Authors: Klocker, Andreas, Naveira Garabato, Alberto, Roquet, Fabien, de Lavergne, Casimir, Rintoul, Steve
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.57757/iugg23-2717; https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5019174

<!--!introduction!--> The ocean's internal pycnocline is a layer of elevated stratification that separates the well-ventilated upper ocean from the more slowly-renewed deep ocean. Despite its pivotal role in organizing ocean circulation, the processes governing the formation of the internal pycnocline remain little understood. Classical theories on pycnocline formation have been couched in terms of temperature and it is not clear how the theory applies in the high-latitude Southern Ocean, where stratification is dominated by salinity. Here we assess the mechanism generating the internal pycnocline in the subpolar Southern Ocean through the analysis of a high-resolution, realistic, global sea ice-ocean model. We show evidence suggesting that the internal pycnocline's formation is associated with seasonal sea ice-ocean interactions in two distinct ice-covered regions, fringing the Antarctic continental slope and the winter sea-ice edge. In both areas, persistent sea-ice melt creates strong, ... : The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023) ...