Supercooled Southern Ocean waters
In cold polar waters, temperatures sometimes drop below the freezing point, a process referred to as supercooling. However, observational challenges in polar regions limit our understanding of the spatial and temporal extent of this phenomenon. We here provide observational evidence that supercooled...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union
2020
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/1/2020GL090242.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL090242 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:528699 2023-05-15T13:41:45+02:00 Supercooled Southern Ocean waters Haumann, F. Alexander Moorman, Ruth Riser, Stephen C. Smedsrud, Lars H. Maksym, Ted Wong, Annie P.S. Wilson, Earle A. Drucker, Robert Talley, Lynne D. Johnson, Kenneth S. Key, Robert M. Sarmiento, Jorge L. 2020-10-28 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/1/2020GL090242.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL090242 en eng American Geophysical Union https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/1/2020GL090242.pdf Haumann, F. Alexander orcid:0000-0002-8218-977X Moorman, Ruth; Riser, Stephen C.; Smedsrud, Lars H.; Maksym, Ted; Wong, Annie P.S.; Wilson, Earle A.; Drucker, Robert; Talley, Lynne D.; Johnson, Kenneth S.; Key, Robert M.; Sarmiento, Jorge L. 2020 Supercooled Southern Ocean waters. Geophysical Research Letters, 47 (20), e2020GL090242. 11, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090242 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090242> cc_by_4 CC-BY Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2020 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090242 2023-02-04T19:51:14Z In cold polar waters, temperatures sometimes drop below the freezing point, a process referred to as supercooling. However, observational challenges in polar regions limit our understanding of the spatial and temporal extent of this phenomenon. We here provide observational evidence that supercooled waters are much more widespread in the seasonally ice-covered Southern Ocean than previously reported. In 5.8% of all analyzed hydrographic profiles south of 55°S, we find temperatures below the surface freezing point (“potential” supercooling), and half of these have temperatures below the local freezing point (“in situ” supercooling). Their occurrence doubles when neglecting measurement uncertainties. We attribute deep coastal-ocean supercooling to melting of Antarctic ice shelves and surface-induced supercooling in the seasonal sea-ice region to wintertime sea-ice formation. The latter supercooling type can extend down to the permanent pycnocline due to convective sinking plumes—an important mechanism for vertical tracer transport and water-mass structure in the polar ocean. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelves Sea ice Southern Ocean Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Southern Ocean Geophysical Research Letters 47 20 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
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ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
In cold polar waters, temperatures sometimes drop below the freezing point, a process referred to as supercooling. However, observational challenges in polar regions limit our understanding of the spatial and temporal extent of this phenomenon. We here provide observational evidence that supercooled waters are much more widespread in the seasonally ice-covered Southern Ocean than previously reported. In 5.8% of all analyzed hydrographic profiles south of 55°S, we find temperatures below the surface freezing point (“potential” supercooling), and half of these have temperatures below the local freezing point (“in situ” supercooling). Their occurrence doubles when neglecting measurement uncertainties. We attribute deep coastal-ocean supercooling to melting of Antarctic ice shelves and surface-induced supercooling in the seasonal sea-ice region to wintertime sea-ice formation. The latter supercooling type can extend down to the permanent pycnocline due to convective sinking plumes—an important mechanism for vertical tracer transport and water-mass structure in the polar ocean. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Haumann, F. Alexander Moorman, Ruth Riser, Stephen C. Smedsrud, Lars H. Maksym, Ted Wong, Annie P.S. Wilson, Earle A. Drucker, Robert Talley, Lynne D. Johnson, Kenneth S. Key, Robert M. Sarmiento, Jorge L. |
spellingShingle |
Haumann, F. Alexander Moorman, Ruth Riser, Stephen C. Smedsrud, Lars H. Maksym, Ted Wong, Annie P.S. Wilson, Earle A. Drucker, Robert Talley, Lynne D. Johnson, Kenneth S. Key, Robert M. Sarmiento, Jorge L. Supercooled Southern Ocean waters |
author_facet |
Haumann, F. Alexander Moorman, Ruth Riser, Stephen C. Smedsrud, Lars H. Maksym, Ted Wong, Annie P.S. Wilson, Earle A. Drucker, Robert Talley, Lynne D. Johnson, Kenneth S. Key, Robert M. Sarmiento, Jorge L. |
author_sort |
Haumann, F. Alexander |
title |
Supercooled Southern Ocean waters |
title_short |
Supercooled Southern Ocean waters |
title_full |
Supercooled Southern Ocean waters |
title_fullStr |
Supercooled Southern Ocean waters |
title_full_unstemmed |
Supercooled Southern Ocean waters |
title_sort |
supercooled southern ocean waters |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/1/2020GL090242.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL090242 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelves Sea ice Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelves Sea ice Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528699/1/2020GL090242.pdf Haumann, F. Alexander orcid:0000-0002-8218-977X Moorman, Ruth; Riser, Stephen C.; Smedsrud, Lars H.; Maksym, Ted; Wong, Annie P.S.; Wilson, Earle A.; Drucker, Robert; Talley, Lynne D.; Johnson, Kenneth S.; Key, Robert M.; Sarmiento, Jorge L. 2020 Supercooled Southern Ocean waters. Geophysical Research Letters, 47 (20), e2020GL090242. 11, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090242 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090242> |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090242 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
47 |
container_issue |
20 |
_version_ |
1766157085966336000 |