Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia
Ocean physics is a key aspect of the operation of island ecosystems, yet the hydrodynamics is sometimes poorly understood. A high-resolution oceanographic survey to the north of South Georgia identified two water masses. These are South Georgia Shelf Water (SGSW) and Antarctic Zone Water (AZW). At t...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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Online Access: | https://oro.open.ac.uk/12099/ http://www.agu.org/journals/jc/v105/iC10/ |
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ftopenunivgb:oai:oro.open.ac.uk:12099 2024-06-23T07:47:50+00:00 Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia Brandon, M. A. Murphy, E. J. Trathan, P. N. Bone, D. G. 2000 https://oro.open.ac.uk/12099/ http://www.agu.org/journals/jc/v105/iC10/ unknown Brandon, M. A. <https://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/mab49.html>; Murphy, E. J.; Trathan, P. N. and Bone, D. G. (2000). Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 105(C10) pp. 23983–23996. Journal Item PeerReviewed 2000 ftopenunivgb 2024-06-05T00:41:20Z Ocean physics is a key aspect of the operation of island ecosystems, yet the hydrodynamics is sometimes poorly understood. A high-resolution oceanographic survey to the north of South Georgia identified two water masses. These are South Georgia Shelf Water (SGSW) and Antarctic Zone Water (AZW). At the surface, SGSW is both colder and fresher than AZW; at the near-surface temperature minimum these differences are reversed. There are two causes: SGSW is close to the island and has an additional contribution to the heat and salt balance from increased precipitation and island runoff, and second, AZW has advected from higher latitudes. Both of these mechanisms imply SGSW is retained around the island. Between these water masses is a variable width frontal region that has a mixture of both water masses. In general terms, the mean current of the AZW is to the west. In the SGSW the general flow also appears to be to the west, but at reduced magnitude; there is evidence of a stronger westerly current close to the shore. In both water masses there are easterly surface currents most likely driven by the prevailing wind. An approximation for the limit of SGSW is that it is constrained to water depths <500 m, A significant deviation is caused by an anticyclonic flow around a prominent bank that can be associated with significant, upwelling. Finally, we comment on the ecological significance of the system observed. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) Antarctic Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 105 C10 23983 23996 |
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The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) |
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Ocean physics is a key aspect of the operation of island ecosystems, yet the hydrodynamics is sometimes poorly understood. A high-resolution oceanographic survey to the north of South Georgia identified two water masses. These are South Georgia Shelf Water (SGSW) and Antarctic Zone Water (AZW). At the surface, SGSW is both colder and fresher than AZW; at the near-surface temperature minimum these differences are reversed. There are two causes: SGSW is close to the island and has an additional contribution to the heat and salt balance from increased precipitation and island runoff, and second, AZW has advected from higher latitudes. Both of these mechanisms imply SGSW is retained around the island. Between these water masses is a variable width frontal region that has a mixture of both water masses. In general terms, the mean current of the AZW is to the west. In the SGSW the general flow also appears to be to the west, but at reduced magnitude; there is evidence of a stronger westerly current close to the shore. In both water masses there are easterly surface currents most likely driven by the prevailing wind. An approximation for the limit of SGSW is that it is constrained to water depths <500 m, A significant deviation is caused by an anticyclonic flow around a prominent bank that can be associated with significant, upwelling. Finally, we comment on the ecological significance of the system observed. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Brandon, M. A. Murphy, E. J. Trathan, P. N. Bone, D. G. |
spellingShingle |
Brandon, M. A. Murphy, E. J. Trathan, P. N. Bone, D. G. Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia |
author_facet |
Brandon, M. A. Murphy, E. J. Trathan, P. N. Bone, D. G. |
author_sort |
Brandon, M. A. |
title |
Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia |
title_short |
Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia |
title_full |
Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia |
title_fullStr |
Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia |
title_sort |
physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-antarctic island of south georgia |
publishDate |
2000 |
url |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/12099/ http://www.agu.org/journals/jc/v105/iC10/ |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic |
op_relation |
Brandon, M. A. <https://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/mab49.html>; Murphy, E. J.; Trathan, P. N. and Bone, D. G. (2000). Physical oceanographic conditions to the northwest of the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 105(C10) pp. 23983–23996. |
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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105 |
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C10 |
container_start_page |
23983 |
op_container_end_page |
23996 |
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1802638027871223808 |