Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica
Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), fitted with Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensors at Macquarie Island in January 2005 and 2010, collected unique oceanographic observations of the Adélie and George V Land continental shelf (140-148° E) during the summer-fall transition (late February thr...
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Online Access: | https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/f740c793-b8cd-4c9e-9f55-a48e8395e88a https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/62380339/Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952640149&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftmacquarieunicr:oai:https://researchers.mq.edu.au:publications/f740c793-b8cd-4c9e-9f55-a48e8395e88a 2024-05-12T07:55:11+00:00 Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica Williams, G. D. Hindell, M. Houssais, M. N. Tamura, T. Field, I. C. 2011 application/pdf https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/f740c793-b8cd-4c9e-9f55-a48e8395e88a https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/62380339/Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952640149&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Williams , G D , Hindell , M , Houssais , M N , Tamura , T & Field , I C 2011 , ' Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica ' , Ocean Science , vol. 7 , no. 2 , pp. 185-202 . https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 article 2011 ftmacquarieunicr https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 2024-04-16T02:57:28Z Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), fitted with Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensors at Macquarie Island in January 2005 and 2010, collected unique oceanographic observations of the Adélie and George V Land continental shelf (140-148° E) during the summer-fall transition (late February through April). This is a key region of dense shelf water formation from enhanced sea ice growth/brine rejection in the local coastal polynyas. In 2005, two seals occupied the continental shelf break near the grounded icebergs at the northern end of the Mertz Glacier Tongue for several weeks from the end of February. One of the seals migrated west to the Dibble Ice Tongue, apparently utilising the Antarctic Slope Front current near the continental shelf break. In 2010, immediately after that year's calving of the Mertz Glacier Tongue, two seals migrated to the same region but penetrated much further southwest across the Adélie Depression and sampled the Commonwealth Bay polynya from March through April. Here we present observations of the regional oceanography during the summer-fall transition, in particular (i) the zonal distribution of modified Circumpolar Deep Water exchange across the shelf break, (ii) the upper ocean stratification across the Adélie Depression, including alongside iceberg C-28 that calved from the Mertz Glacier and (iii) the convective overturning of the deep remnant seasonal mixed layer in Commonwealth Bay from sea ice growth. Heat and freshwater budgets to 200-300 m are used to estimate the ocean heat content (400→50 MJ m -2 ), flux (50-200 W m -2 loss) and sea ice growth rates (maximum of 7.5-12.5 cm day -1 ). Mean seal-derived sea ice growth rates were within the range of satellite-derived estimates from 1992-2007 using ERA-Interim data. We speculate that the continuous foraging by the seals within Commonwealth Bay during the summer/fall transition was due to favorable feeding conditions resulting from the convective overturning of the deep seasonal mixed layer and chlorophyll maximum that is a ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Elephant Seal Elephant Seals George V Land Iceberg* Macquarie Island Mertz Glacier Mirounga leonina Sea ice Southern Elephant Seals Macquarie University Research Portal Antarctic Commonwealth Bay ENVELOPE(142.500,142.500,-67.000,-67.000) East Antarctica George V Land ENVELOPE(148.000,148.000,-68.500,-68.500) Mertz Glacier ENVELOPE(144.500,144.500,-67.667,-67.667) Mertz Glacier Tongue ENVELOPE(145.500,145.500,-67.167,-67.167) The Antarctic Ocean Science 7 2 185 202 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Macquarie University Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftmacquarieunicr |
language |
English |
description |
Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), fitted with Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensors at Macquarie Island in January 2005 and 2010, collected unique oceanographic observations of the Adélie and George V Land continental shelf (140-148° E) during the summer-fall transition (late February through April). This is a key region of dense shelf water formation from enhanced sea ice growth/brine rejection in the local coastal polynyas. In 2005, two seals occupied the continental shelf break near the grounded icebergs at the northern end of the Mertz Glacier Tongue for several weeks from the end of February. One of the seals migrated west to the Dibble Ice Tongue, apparently utilising the Antarctic Slope Front current near the continental shelf break. In 2010, immediately after that year's calving of the Mertz Glacier Tongue, two seals migrated to the same region but penetrated much further southwest across the Adélie Depression and sampled the Commonwealth Bay polynya from March through April. Here we present observations of the regional oceanography during the summer-fall transition, in particular (i) the zonal distribution of modified Circumpolar Deep Water exchange across the shelf break, (ii) the upper ocean stratification across the Adélie Depression, including alongside iceberg C-28 that calved from the Mertz Glacier and (iii) the convective overturning of the deep remnant seasonal mixed layer in Commonwealth Bay from sea ice growth. Heat and freshwater budgets to 200-300 m are used to estimate the ocean heat content (400→50 MJ m -2 ), flux (50-200 W m -2 loss) and sea ice growth rates (maximum of 7.5-12.5 cm day -1 ). Mean seal-derived sea ice growth rates were within the range of satellite-derived estimates from 1992-2007 using ERA-Interim data. We speculate that the continuous foraging by the seals within Commonwealth Bay during the summer/fall transition was due to favorable feeding conditions resulting from the convective overturning of the deep seasonal mixed layer and chlorophyll maximum that is a ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Williams, G. D. Hindell, M. Houssais, M. N. Tamura, T. Field, I. C. |
spellingShingle |
Williams, G. D. Hindell, M. Houssais, M. N. Tamura, T. Field, I. C. Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica |
author_facet |
Williams, G. D. Hindell, M. Houssais, M. N. Tamura, T. Field, I. C. |
author_sort |
Williams, G. D. |
title |
Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica |
title_short |
Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica |
title_full |
Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica |
title_sort |
upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by elephant seal foraging in the adélie depression, east antarctica |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/f740c793-b8cd-4c9e-9f55-a48e8395e88a https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/62380339/Publisher%20version%20(open%20access).pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952640149&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(142.500,142.500,-67.000,-67.000) ENVELOPE(148.000,148.000,-68.500,-68.500) ENVELOPE(144.500,144.500,-67.667,-67.667) ENVELOPE(145.500,145.500,-67.167,-67.167) |
geographic |
Antarctic Commonwealth Bay East Antarctica George V Land Mertz Glacier Mertz Glacier Tongue The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Commonwealth Bay East Antarctica George V Land Mertz Glacier Mertz Glacier Tongue The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Elephant Seal Elephant Seals George V Land Iceberg* Macquarie Island Mertz Glacier Mirounga leonina Sea ice Southern Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Elephant Seal Elephant Seals George V Land Iceberg* Macquarie Island Mertz Glacier Mirounga leonina Sea ice Southern Elephant Seals |
op_source |
Williams , G D , Hindell , M , Houssais , M N , Tamura , T & Field , I C 2011 , ' Upper ocean stratification and sea ice growth rates during the summer-fall transition, as revealed by Elephant seal foraging in the Adélie Depression, East Antarctica ' , Ocean Science , vol. 7 , no. 2 , pp. 185-202 . https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-185-2011 |
container_title |
Ocean Science |
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7 |
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2 |
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185 |
op_container_end_page |
202 |
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1798834808282939392 |