On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models
The behaviours of three high-resolution ocean circulation models of the North Atlantic, differing chiefly in their description of the vertical coordinate, are investigated in order to elucidate the routes and mechanisms by which saline water masses of southern origin provide inflows to the Nordic Se...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:100270 2023-05-15T17:24:17+02:00 On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models New, A.L. Barnard, S. Herrmann, P. Molines, J.-M. 2001 application/pdf http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/100270/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/100270/1/NEW_esc.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/100270/1/NEW_esc.pdf New, A.L. orcid:0000-0002-3159-8872 Barnard, S.; Herrmann, P.; Molines, J.-M. 2001 On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models. Progress in Oceanography, 48 (2/3). 255-287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6 <https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2001 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6 2023-02-04T19:33:25Z The behaviours of three high-resolution ocean circulation models of the North Atlantic, differing chiefly in their description of the vertical coordinate, are investigated in order to elucidate the routes and mechanisms by which saline water masses of southern origin provide inflows to the Nordic Seas. An existing hypothesis is that Mediterranean Overflow Water (MOW) is carried polewards in an eastern boundary undercurrent, and provides a deep source for these inflows. This study, however, provides an alternative view that the inflows are derived from shallow sources, and are comprised of water masses of western origin, carried by branches of the North Atlantic Current (NAC), and also more saline Eastern North Atlantic Water (ENAW), transported northwards from the Bay of Biscay region via a ‘Shelf Edge Current’ (SEC) flowing around the continental margins. In two of the models, the MOW flows northwards, but reaches only as far as the Porcupine Bank (53°N). In third model, the MOW also invades the Rockall Trough (extending to 60°N). However, none of the models allows the MOW to flow northwards into the Nordic Seas. Instead, they all support the hyporthesis of there being shallow pathways, and that the saline inflows to the Nordic Seas result from NAC-derived and ENAW water masses, which meet and partially mix in the Rockall Trough. Volume and salinity transports into the southern Rockall Trough via the SEC are, in the various models, between 25 and 100% of those imported by the NAC, and are also a similarly significant proportion (20–75%) of the transports into the Nordic Seas. Moreover, the highest salinities are carried northwards by the SEC (these being between 0.13 and 0.19 psu more saline at the southern entrance to the Trough than those in the NAC-derived waters). This reveals for the first time the importance of the SEC in carrying saline water masses through the Rockall Trough and into the Nordic Seas. Furthermore, the high salinities found on density surfaces appropriate to the MOW in the Nordic Seas are ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Nordic Seas north atlantic current North Atlantic Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Porcupine Bank ENVELOPE(-13.667,-13.667,53.333,53.333) Rockall Trough ENVELOPE(-15.036,-15.036,53.825,53.825) Progress in Oceanography 48 2-3 255 287 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The behaviours of three high-resolution ocean circulation models of the North Atlantic, differing chiefly in their description of the vertical coordinate, are investigated in order to elucidate the routes and mechanisms by which saline water masses of southern origin provide inflows to the Nordic Seas. An existing hypothesis is that Mediterranean Overflow Water (MOW) is carried polewards in an eastern boundary undercurrent, and provides a deep source for these inflows. This study, however, provides an alternative view that the inflows are derived from shallow sources, and are comprised of water masses of western origin, carried by branches of the North Atlantic Current (NAC), and also more saline Eastern North Atlantic Water (ENAW), transported northwards from the Bay of Biscay region via a ‘Shelf Edge Current’ (SEC) flowing around the continental margins. In two of the models, the MOW flows northwards, but reaches only as far as the Porcupine Bank (53°N). In third model, the MOW also invades the Rockall Trough (extending to 60°N). However, none of the models allows the MOW to flow northwards into the Nordic Seas. Instead, they all support the hyporthesis of there being shallow pathways, and that the saline inflows to the Nordic Seas result from NAC-derived and ENAW water masses, which meet and partially mix in the Rockall Trough. Volume and salinity transports into the southern Rockall Trough via the SEC are, in the various models, between 25 and 100% of those imported by the NAC, and are also a similarly significant proportion (20–75%) of the transports into the Nordic Seas. Moreover, the highest salinities are carried northwards by the SEC (these being between 0.13 and 0.19 psu more saline at the southern entrance to the Trough than those in the NAC-derived waters). This reveals for the first time the importance of the SEC in carrying saline water masses through the Rockall Trough and into the Nordic Seas. Furthermore, the high salinities found on density surfaces appropriate to the MOW in the Nordic Seas are ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
New, A.L. Barnard, S. Herrmann, P. Molines, J.-M. |
spellingShingle |
New, A.L. Barnard, S. Herrmann, P. Molines, J.-M. On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models |
author_facet |
New, A.L. Barnard, S. Herrmann, P. Molines, J.-M. |
author_sort |
New, A.L. |
title |
On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models |
title_short |
On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models |
title_full |
On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models |
title_fullStr |
On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models |
title_full_unstemmed |
On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models |
title_sort |
on the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the nordic seas: insights from models |
publishDate |
2001 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/100270/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/100270/1/NEW_esc.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-13.667,-13.667,53.333,53.333) ENVELOPE(-15.036,-15.036,53.825,53.825) |
geographic |
Porcupine Bank Rockall Trough |
geographic_facet |
Porcupine Bank Rockall Trough |
genre |
Nordic Seas north atlantic current North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Nordic Seas north atlantic current North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/100270/1/NEW_esc.pdf New, A.L. orcid:0000-0002-3159-8872 Barnard, S.; Herrmann, P.; Molines, J.-M. 2001 On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models. Progress in Oceanography, 48 (2/3). 255-287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6 <https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6611(01)00007-6 |
container_title |
Progress in Oceanography |
container_volume |
48 |
container_issue |
2-3 |
container_start_page |
255 |
op_container_end_page |
287 |
_version_ |
1766115239768621056 |