Surface winds over West Antarctica
Five winter months (April-August 1988) of thermal infrared satellite images were examined to investigate the occurrence of dark (warm) signatures across the Ross Ice Shelf in the Antarctic continent. These features are inferred to be generated by katabatic winds that descend from southern Marie Byrd...
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ftnasantrs:oai:casi.ntrs.nasa.gov:19930022714 2023-05-15T13:24:09+02:00 Surface winds over West Antarctica Bromwich, David Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available Jul 1, 1993 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930022714 unknown http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930022714 Accession ID: 93N31903 No Copyright Other Sources 46 NASA. Goddard Space Flight Center, The First Annual West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Science Workshop; p 44 1993 ftnasantrs 2012-02-15T19:56:21Z Five winter months (April-August 1988) of thermal infrared satellite images were examined to investigate the occurrence of dark (warm) signatures across the Ross Ice Shelf in the Antarctic continent. These features are inferred to be generated by katabatic winds that descend from southern Marie Byrd Land and then blow horizontally across the ice shelf. Significant mass is added to this airstream by katabatic winds blowing from the major glaciers that flow through the Transantarctic Mountains from East Antarctica. These negatively buoyant katabatic winds can reach the northwestern edge of the shelf - a horizontal propagation distance of up to 1,000 km - 14 percent of the time. Where the airstream crosses from the ice shelf to the ice-covered Ross Sea, a prominent coastal polynya is formed. Because the downslope buoyancy force is near zero over the Ross Ice Shelf, the northwestward propagation of the katabatic air mass requires pressure gradient support. The study shows that the extended horizontal propagation of this atmospheric density current occurred in conjunction with the passage of synoptic cyclones over the southern Amundsen Sea. These cyclones can strengthen the pressure gradient in the interior of West Antarctica and make the pressure field favorable for northwestward movement of the katabatic winds from West Antarctica across the ice shelf in a geostrophic direction. The glacier winds from East Antarctica are further accelerated by the synoptic pressure gradient, usually undergo abrupt adjustment beyond the exit to the glacier valley, and merge into the mountain-parallel katabatic air mass. Other/Unknown Material Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Marie Byrd Land Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea West Antarctica NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea West Antarctica Amundsen Sea Ross Ice Shelf Transantarctic Mountains Byrd Marie Byrd Land ENVELOPE(-130.000,-130.000,-78.000,-78.000) |
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
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46 |
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46 Bromwich, David Surface winds over West Antarctica |
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46 |
description |
Five winter months (April-August 1988) of thermal infrared satellite images were examined to investigate the occurrence of dark (warm) signatures across the Ross Ice Shelf in the Antarctic continent. These features are inferred to be generated by katabatic winds that descend from southern Marie Byrd Land and then blow horizontally across the ice shelf. Significant mass is added to this airstream by katabatic winds blowing from the major glaciers that flow through the Transantarctic Mountains from East Antarctica. These negatively buoyant katabatic winds can reach the northwestern edge of the shelf - a horizontal propagation distance of up to 1,000 km - 14 percent of the time. Where the airstream crosses from the ice shelf to the ice-covered Ross Sea, a prominent coastal polynya is formed. Because the downslope buoyancy force is near zero over the Ross Ice Shelf, the northwestward propagation of the katabatic air mass requires pressure gradient support. The study shows that the extended horizontal propagation of this atmospheric density current occurred in conjunction with the passage of synoptic cyclones over the southern Amundsen Sea. These cyclones can strengthen the pressure gradient in the interior of West Antarctica and make the pressure field favorable for northwestward movement of the katabatic winds from West Antarctica across the ice shelf in a geostrophic direction. The glacier winds from East Antarctica are further accelerated by the synoptic pressure gradient, usually undergo abrupt adjustment beyond the exit to the glacier valley, and merge into the mountain-parallel katabatic air mass. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Bromwich, David |
author_facet |
Bromwich, David |
author_sort |
Bromwich, David |
title |
Surface winds over West Antarctica |
title_short |
Surface winds over West Antarctica |
title_full |
Surface winds over West Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Surface winds over West Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Surface winds over West Antarctica |
title_sort |
surface winds over west antarctica |
publishDate |
1993 |
url |
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930022714 |
op_coverage |
Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-130.000,-130.000,-78.000,-78.000) |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea West Antarctica Amundsen Sea Ross Ice Shelf Transantarctic Mountains Byrd Marie Byrd Land |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea West Antarctica Amundsen Sea Ross Ice Shelf Transantarctic Mountains Byrd Marie Byrd Land |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Marie Byrd Land Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Marie Byrd Land Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea West Antarctica |
op_source |
Other Sources |
op_relation |
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930022714 Accession ID: 93N31903 |
op_rights |
No Copyright |
_version_ |
1766377741553238016 |