Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea
The offshore transport of Greenland coastal waters influenced by freshwater input from ice sheet melting during summer plays an important role in ocean circulation and biological processes in the Labrador Sea. Many previous studies over the last decade have investigated shelfbreak transport processe...
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MDPI AG
2023
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235545 https://doaj.org/article/5ad5a1d1d5e5479b87e3e00f77dac868 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5ad5a1d1d5e5479b87e3e00f77dac868 2024-01-07T09:42:18+01:00 Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea Renato M. Castelao Hilde Oliver Patricia M. Medeiros 2023-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235545 https://doaj.org/article/5ad5a1d1d5e5479b87e3e00f77dac868 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/23/5545 https://doaj.org/toc/2072-4292 doi:10.3390/rs15235545 2072-4292 https://doaj.org/article/5ad5a1d1d5e5479b87e3e00f77dac868 Remote Sensing, Vol 15, Iss 23, p 5545 (2023) Labrador Sea Lagrangian trajectories transport pathways Greenland Science Q article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235545 2023-12-10T01:36:27Z The offshore transport of Greenland coastal waters influenced by freshwater input from ice sheet melting during summer plays an important role in ocean circulation and biological processes in the Labrador Sea. Many previous studies over the last decade have investigated shelfbreak transport processes in the region, primarily using ocean model simulations. Here, we use 27 years of surface geostrophic velocity observations from satellite altimetry, modified to include Ekman dynamics based on atmospheric reanalysis, and virtual particle releases to investigate seasonal and interannual variability in transport of coastal water in the Labrador Sea. Two sets of tracking experiments were pursued, one using geostrophic velocities only, and another using total velocities including the wind effect. Our analysis revealed substantial seasonal variability, even when only geostrophic velocities were considered. Water from coastal southwest Greenland is generally transported northward into Baffin Bay, although westward transport off the west Greenland shelf increases in fall and winter due to winds. Westward offshore transport is increased for water from southeast Greenland so that, in some years, water originating near the east Greenland coast during summer can be transported into the central Labrador Sea and the convection region. When wind forcing is considered, long-term trends suggest decreasing transport of Greenland coastal water during the melting season toward Baffin Bay, and increasing transport into the interior of the Labrador Sea for water originating from southeast Greenland during summer, where it could potentially influence water column stability. Future studies using higher-resolution velocity observations are needed to capture the role of submesoscale variability in transport pathways in the Labrador Sea. Article in Journal/Newspaper Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin East Greenland Greenland Ice Sheet Labrador Sea Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Baffin Bay Greenland Remote Sensing 15 23 5545 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Labrador Sea Lagrangian trajectories transport pathways Greenland Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Labrador Sea Lagrangian trajectories transport pathways Greenland Science Q Renato M. Castelao Hilde Oliver Patricia M. Medeiros Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea |
topic_facet |
Labrador Sea Lagrangian trajectories transport pathways Greenland Science Q |
description |
The offshore transport of Greenland coastal waters influenced by freshwater input from ice sheet melting during summer plays an important role in ocean circulation and biological processes in the Labrador Sea. Many previous studies over the last decade have investigated shelfbreak transport processes in the region, primarily using ocean model simulations. Here, we use 27 years of surface geostrophic velocity observations from satellite altimetry, modified to include Ekman dynamics based on atmospheric reanalysis, and virtual particle releases to investigate seasonal and interannual variability in transport of coastal water in the Labrador Sea. Two sets of tracking experiments were pursued, one using geostrophic velocities only, and another using total velocities including the wind effect. Our analysis revealed substantial seasonal variability, even when only geostrophic velocities were considered. Water from coastal southwest Greenland is generally transported northward into Baffin Bay, although westward transport off the west Greenland shelf increases in fall and winter due to winds. Westward offshore transport is increased for water from southeast Greenland so that, in some years, water originating near the east Greenland coast during summer can be transported into the central Labrador Sea and the convection region. When wind forcing is considered, long-term trends suggest decreasing transport of Greenland coastal water during the melting season toward Baffin Bay, and increasing transport into the interior of the Labrador Sea for water originating from southeast Greenland during summer, where it could potentially influence water column stability. Future studies using higher-resolution velocity observations are needed to capture the role of submesoscale variability in transport pathways in the Labrador Sea. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Renato M. Castelao Hilde Oliver Patricia M. Medeiros |
author_facet |
Renato M. Castelao Hilde Oliver Patricia M. Medeiros |
author_sort |
Renato M. Castelao |
title |
Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea |
title_short |
Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea |
title_full |
Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea |
title_fullStr |
Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Satellite-Derived Lagrangian Transport Pathways in the Labrador Sea |
title_sort |
satellite-derived lagrangian transport pathways in the labrador sea |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235545 https://doaj.org/article/5ad5a1d1d5e5479b87e3e00f77dac868 |
geographic |
Baffin Bay Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Baffin Bay Greenland |
genre |
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin East Greenland Greenland Ice Sheet Labrador Sea |
genre_facet |
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin East Greenland Greenland Ice Sheet Labrador Sea |
op_source |
Remote Sensing, Vol 15, Iss 23, p 5545 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/23/5545 https://doaj.org/toc/2072-4292 doi:10.3390/rs15235545 2072-4292 https://doaj.org/article/5ad5a1d1d5e5479b87e3e00f77dac868 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15235545 |
container_title |
Remote Sensing |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
23 |
container_start_page |
5545 |
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1787423262913855488 |