Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water
A high-resolution numerical model, together with in situ and satellite observations, is used to explore the nature and dynamics of the dominant high-frequency (from one day to one week) variability in Denmark Strait. Mooring measurements in the center of the strait reveal that warm water “flooding e...
Published in: | Journal of Physical Oceanography |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:530124 2023-05-15T16:00:35+02:00 Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water Spall, Michael A. Pickart, Robert S. Lin, Peigen Appen, Wilken-Jon von Mastropole, Dana Valdimarsson, H. Haine, Thomas W. N. Almansi, Mattia 2019-07-01 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530124/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530124/1/%5B15200485%20-%20Journal%20of%20Physical%20Oceanography%5D%20Frontogenesis%20and%20Variability%20in%20Denmark%20Strait%20and%20Its%20Influence%20on%20Overflow%20Water.pdf https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530124/1/%5B15200485%20-%20Journal%20of%20Physical%20Oceanography%5D%20Frontogenesis%20and%20Variability%20in%20Denmark%20Strait%20and%20Its%20Influence%20on%20Overflow%20Water.pdf Spall, Michael A.; Pickart, Robert S.; Lin, Peigen; Appen, Wilken-Jon von; Mastropole, Dana; Valdimarsson, H.; Haine, Thomas W. N.; Almansi, Mattia orcid:0000-0001-6849-3647 . 2019 Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 49 (7). 1889-1904. https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1 <https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1> cc_by_nc_nd_4 CC-BY-NC-ND Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2019 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1 2023-02-04T19:52:01Z A high-resolution numerical model, together with in situ and satellite observations, is used to explore the nature and dynamics of the dominant high-frequency (from one day to one week) variability in Denmark Strait. Mooring measurements in the center of the strait reveal that warm water “flooding events” occur, whereby the North Icelandic Irminger Current (NIIC) propagates offshore and advects subtropical-origin water northward through the deepest part of the sill. Two other types of mesoscale processes in Denmark Strait have been described previously in the literature, known as “boluses” and “pulses,” associated with a raising and lowering of the overflow water interface. Our measurements reveal that flooding events occur in conjunction with especially pronounced pulses. The model indicates that the NIIC hydrographic front is maintained by a balance between frontogenesis by the large-scale flow and frontolysis by baroclinic instability. Specifically, the temperature and salinity tendency equations demonstrate that the eddies act to relax the front, while the mean flow acts to sharpen it. Furthermore, the model reveals that the two dense water processes—boluses and pulses (and hence flooding events)—are dynamically related to each other and tied to the meandering of the hydrographic front in the strait. Our study thus provides a general framework for interpreting the short-time-scale variability of Denmark Strait Overflow Water entering the Irminger Sea. Article in Journal/Newspaper Denmark Strait North Icelandic Irminger Current NIIC Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Irminger Sea ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) Journal of Physical Oceanography 49 7 1889 1904 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
A high-resolution numerical model, together with in situ and satellite observations, is used to explore the nature and dynamics of the dominant high-frequency (from one day to one week) variability in Denmark Strait. Mooring measurements in the center of the strait reveal that warm water “flooding events” occur, whereby the North Icelandic Irminger Current (NIIC) propagates offshore and advects subtropical-origin water northward through the deepest part of the sill. Two other types of mesoscale processes in Denmark Strait have been described previously in the literature, known as “boluses” and “pulses,” associated with a raising and lowering of the overflow water interface. Our measurements reveal that flooding events occur in conjunction with especially pronounced pulses. The model indicates that the NIIC hydrographic front is maintained by a balance between frontogenesis by the large-scale flow and frontolysis by baroclinic instability. Specifically, the temperature and salinity tendency equations demonstrate that the eddies act to relax the front, while the mean flow acts to sharpen it. Furthermore, the model reveals that the two dense water processes—boluses and pulses (and hence flooding events)—are dynamically related to each other and tied to the meandering of the hydrographic front in the strait. Our study thus provides a general framework for interpreting the short-time-scale variability of Denmark Strait Overflow Water entering the Irminger Sea. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Spall, Michael A. Pickart, Robert S. Lin, Peigen Appen, Wilken-Jon von Mastropole, Dana Valdimarsson, H. Haine, Thomas W. N. Almansi, Mattia |
spellingShingle |
Spall, Michael A. Pickart, Robert S. Lin, Peigen Appen, Wilken-Jon von Mastropole, Dana Valdimarsson, H. Haine, Thomas W. N. Almansi, Mattia Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water |
author_facet |
Spall, Michael A. Pickart, Robert S. Lin, Peigen Appen, Wilken-Jon von Mastropole, Dana Valdimarsson, H. Haine, Thomas W. N. Almansi, Mattia |
author_sort |
Spall, Michael A. |
title |
Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water |
title_short |
Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water |
title_full |
Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water |
title_fullStr |
Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water |
title_full_unstemmed |
Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water |
title_sort |
frontogenesis and variability in denmark strait and its influence on overflow water |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530124/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530124/1/%5B15200485%20-%20Journal%20of%20Physical%20Oceanography%5D%20Frontogenesis%20and%20Variability%20in%20Denmark%20Strait%20and%20Its%20Influence%20on%20Overflow%20Water.pdf https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) |
geographic |
Irminger Sea |
geographic_facet |
Irminger Sea |
genre |
Denmark Strait North Icelandic Irminger Current NIIC |
genre_facet |
Denmark Strait North Icelandic Irminger Current NIIC |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530124/1/%5B15200485%20-%20Journal%20of%20Physical%20Oceanography%5D%20Frontogenesis%20and%20Variability%20in%20Denmark%20Strait%20and%20Its%20Influence%20on%20Overflow%20Water.pdf Spall, Michael A.; Pickart, Robert S.; Lin, Peigen; Appen, Wilken-Jon von; Mastropole, Dana; Valdimarsson, H.; Haine, Thomas W. N.; Almansi, Mattia orcid:0000-0001-6849-3647 . 2019 Frontogenesis and variability in Denmark Strait and its influence on overflow water. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 49 (7). 1889-1904. https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1 <https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1> |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc_nd_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY-NC-ND |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-19-0053.1 |
container_title |
Journal of Physical Oceanography |
container_volume |
49 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
1889 |
op_container_end_page |
1904 |
_version_ |
1766396590391558144 |