An anticyclonic circulation above the Northwest Georgia Rise, Southern Ocean
Data from a variety of sources reveal a warm-core anticyclonic circulation above the Northwest Georgia Rise (NWGR), an similar to2000-m high bathymetric feature north of South Georgia. The sense of the circulation is opposite to the general cyclonic flow in the Georgia Basin. The circulation shows t...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
American Geophysical Union
2003
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/12778/ http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/gl0320/2003GL018039/ |
Summary: | Data from a variety of sources reveal a warm-core anticyclonic circulation above the Northwest Georgia Rise (NWGR), an similar to2000-m high bathymetric feature north of South Georgia. The sense of the circulation is opposite to the general cyclonic flow in the Georgia Basin. The circulation shows the characteristics of a stratified Taylor column: dimensional analysis shows that the local bathymetry and hydrography are conducive to the formation of such. ERS2 altimeter data show that the column, whilst not fully permanent, is nonetheless a recurring feature. High concentrations of chlorophyll-a are observed at the centre of the circulation, indicating that the modulation of the physical environment has significant consequences for the local biogeochemical system via enhanced primary production. Enhanced chlorophyll-a extends in a long plume from the NWGR along pathways indicated by drifters; this passive redistribution may have consequences for the larger (basin-) scale ecosystem. |
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