Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation
The densest waters in the Atlantic overturning circulation are sourced at the periphery of Antarctica, especially the Weddell Sea, and flow northward via routes that involve crossing the complex bathymetry of the Scotia Arc. Recent observations of significant warming of these waters along much of th...
Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
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Language: | English |
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ftsouthampton:oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:365544 2023-08-27T04:04:32+02:00 Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation Meredith, M.P. Jullion, L. Brown, P.J. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Couldrey, M.P. 2014-06-02 https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/365544/ English eng Meredith, M.P., Jullion, L., Brown, P.J., Naveira Garabato, A.C. and Couldrey, M.P. (2014) Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 372 (2019), 20130041. (doi:10.1098/rsta.2013.0041 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0041>). Article PeerReviewed 2014 ftsouthampton https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0041 2023-08-03T22:20:39Z The densest waters in the Atlantic overturning circulation are sourced at the periphery of Antarctica, especially the Weddell Sea, and flow northward via routes that involve crossing the complex bathymetry of the Scotia Arc. Recent observations of significant warming of these waters along much of the length of the Atlantic have highlighted the need to identify and understand the time-varying formation and export processes, and the controls on their properties and flows. Here, we review recent developments in understanding of the processes that control the changing flux of water through the main export route from the Weddell Sea into the Scotia Sea, and the transformations of the waters within the Scotia Sea and environs. We also present a synopsis of recent findings that relate to the climatic change of dense water properties within the Weddell Sea itself, in the context of known Atlantic-scale changes. Among the most significant findings are the discovery that the warming of waters exported from the Weddell Sea has been accompanied by a significant freshening, and that the episodic nature of the overflow into the Scotia Sea is markedly wind-controlled and can lead to significantly enhanced abyssal stratification. Key areas for focusing future research effort are outlined. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Scotia Sea Weddell Sea University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton Weddell Sea Scotia Sea Weddell Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 372 2019 20130041 |
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Open Polar |
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University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton |
op_collection_id |
ftsouthampton |
language |
English |
description |
The densest waters in the Atlantic overturning circulation are sourced at the periphery of Antarctica, especially the Weddell Sea, and flow northward via routes that involve crossing the complex bathymetry of the Scotia Arc. Recent observations of significant warming of these waters along much of the length of the Atlantic have highlighted the need to identify and understand the time-varying formation and export processes, and the controls on their properties and flows. Here, we review recent developments in understanding of the processes that control the changing flux of water through the main export route from the Weddell Sea into the Scotia Sea, and the transformations of the waters within the Scotia Sea and environs. We also present a synopsis of recent findings that relate to the climatic change of dense water properties within the Weddell Sea itself, in the context of known Atlantic-scale changes. Among the most significant findings are the discovery that the warming of waters exported from the Weddell Sea has been accompanied by a significant freshening, and that the episodic nature of the overflow into the Scotia Sea is markedly wind-controlled and can lead to significantly enhanced abyssal stratification. Key areas for focusing future research effort are outlined. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Meredith, M.P. Jullion, L. Brown, P.J. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Couldrey, M.P. |
spellingShingle |
Meredith, M.P. Jullion, L. Brown, P.J. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Couldrey, M.P. Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
author_facet |
Meredith, M.P. Jullion, L. Brown, P.J. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Couldrey, M.P. |
author_sort |
Meredith, M.P. |
title |
Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
title_short |
Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
title_full |
Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
title_fullStr |
Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
title_sort |
dense waters of the weddell and scotia seas: recent changes in properties and circulation |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/365544/ |
geographic |
Weddell Sea Scotia Sea Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Weddell Sea Scotia Sea Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Scotia Sea Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Scotia Sea Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
Meredith, M.P., Jullion, L., Brown, P.J., Naveira Garabato, A.C. and Couldrey, M.P. (2014) Dense waters of the Weddell and Scotia Seas: recent changes in properties and circulation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 372 (2019), 20130041. (doi:10.1098/rsta.2013.0041 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0041>). |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0041 |
container_title |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
container_volume |
372 |
container_issue |
2019 |
container_start_page |
20130041 |
_version_ |
1775351895274029056 |