FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea
The Filchner‐Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS) is characterized by moderate basal melt rates due to the near‐freezing waters that dominate the wide southern Weddell Sea continental shelf. We revisited the region in austral summer 2018 with detailed hydrographic and noble gas surveys along FRIS. The FRIS front...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2021
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017269 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9556 |
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ftsubggeo:oai:e-docs.geo-leo.de:11858/9556 |
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openpolar |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
GEO-LEOe-docs (FID GEO) |
op_collection_id |
ftsubggeo |
language |
English |
topic |
ddc:551.46 Ocean circulation ocean‐ice shelf interaction water masses Weddell Sea Filcher and Ronne shelves |
spellingShingle |
ddc:551.46 Ocean circulation ocean‐ice shelf interaction water masses Weddell Sea Filcher and Ronne shelves Janout, Markus A. Hellmer, Hartmut H. Hattermann, Tore Huhn, Oliver Sültenfuss, Jürgen Østerhus, Svein Stulic, Lukrecia Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Kanzow, Torsten Hellmer, Hartmut H.; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Hattermann, Tore; 2 Norwegian Polar Institute Tromsø Norway Huhn, Oliver; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Sültenfuss, Jürgen; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Østerhus, Svein; 4 Norwegian Research Center Bergen Norway Stulic, Lukrecia; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Ryan, Svenja; 6 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole USA Schröder, Michael; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Kanzow, Torsten; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea |
topic_facet |
ddc:551.46 Ocean circulation ocean‐ice shelf interaction water masses Weddell Sea Filcher and Ronne shelves |
description |
The Filchner‐Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS) is characterized by moderate basal melt rates due to the near‐freezing waters that dominate the wide southern Weddell Sea continental shelf. We revisited the region in austral summer 2018 with detailed hydrographic and noble gas surveys along FRIS. The FRIS front was characterized by High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) in Ronne Depression, Ice Shelf Water (ISW) on its eastern flank, and an inflow of modified Warm Deep Water (mWDW) entering through Central Trough. Filchner Trough was dominated by Ronne HSSW‐sourced ISW, likely forced by a recently intensified circulation beneath FRIS due to enhanced sea ice production in the Ronne polynya since 2015. Glacial meltwater fractions and tracer‐based water mass dating indicate two separate ISW outflow cores, one hugging the Berkner slope after a two‐year travel time, and the other located in the central Filchner Trough following a ∼six year‐long transit through the FRIS cavity. Historical measurements indicate the presence of two distinct modes, in which water masses in Filchner Trough were dominated by either Ronne HSSW‐derived ISW (Ronne‐mode) or more locally derived Berkner‐HSSW (Berkner‐mode). While the dominance of these modes has alternated on interannual time scales, ocean densities in Filchner Trough have remained remarkably stable since the first surveys in 1980. Indeed, geostrophic velocities indicated outflowing ISW‐cores along the trough's western flank and onto Berkner Bank, which suggests that Ronne‐ISW preconditions Berkner‐HSSW production. The negligible density difference between Berkner‐ and Ronne‐mode waters indicates that each contributes cold dense shelf waters to protect FRIS against inflowing mWDW. Plain Language Summary: We visited the largest floating Antarctic ice shelf in the southern Weddell Sea in 2018 with an icebreaker expedition, and measured ocean temperature, salinity, meltwater content, and other parameters in front of the FRIS. We found that the ocean conditions were still dominated by the very cold ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Janout, Markus A. Hellmer, Hartmut H. Hattermann, Tore Huhn, Oliver Sültenfuss, Jürgen Østerhus, Svein Stulic, Lukrecia Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Kanzow, Torsten Hellmer, Hartmut H.; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Hattermann, Tore; 2 Norwegian Polar Institute Tromsø Norway Huhn, Oliver; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Sültenfuss, Jürgen; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Østerhus, Svein; 4 Norwegian Research Center Bergen Norway Stulic, Lukrecia; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Ryan, Svenja; 6 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole USA Schröder, Michael; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Kanzow, Torsten; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany |
author_facet |
Janout, Markus A. Hellmer, Hartmut H. Hattermann, Tore Huhn, Oliver Sültenfuss, Jürgen Østerhus, Svein Stulic, Lukrecia Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Kanzow, Torsten Hellmer, Hartmut H.; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Hattermann, Tore; 2 Norwegian Polar Institute Tromsø Norway Huhn, Oliver; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Sültenfuss, Jürgen; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Østerhus, Svein; 4 Norwegian Research Center Bergen Norway Stulic, Lukrecia; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Ryan, Svenja; 6 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole USA Schröder, Michael; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Kanzow, Torsten; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany |
author_sort |
Janout, Markus A. |
title |
FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea |
title_short |
FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea |
title_full |
FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea |
title_fullStr |
FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea |
title_sort |
fris revisited in 2018: on the circulation and water masses at the filchner and ronne ice shelves in the southern weddell sea |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017269 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9556 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-61.000,-61.000,-78.500,-78.500) ENVELOPE(-36.000,-36.000,-77.000,-77.000) ENVELOPE(-48.000,-48.000,-75.000,-75.000) |
geographic |
Antarctic Weddell Sea Austral Weddell Ronne Ice Shelf Filchner Trough Berkner Bank |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Weddell Sea Austral Weddell Ronne Ice Shelf Filchner Trough Berkner Bank |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Ronne Ice Shelf Sea ice Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Ronne Ice Shelf Sea ice Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
doi:10.1029/2021JC017269 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9556 |
op_rights |
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017269 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
126 |
container_issue |
6 |
_version_ |
1766168921136693248 |
spelling |
ftsubggeo:oai:e-docs.geo-leo.de:11858/9556 2023-05-15T13:42:31+02:00 FRIS Revisited in 2018: On the Circulation and Water Masses at the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves in the Southern Weddell Sea Janout, Markus A. Hellmer, Hartmut H. Hattermann, Tore Huhn, Oliver Sültenfuss, Jürgen Østerhus, Svein Stulic, Lukrecia Ryan, Svenja Schröder, Michael Kanzow, Torsten Hellmer, Hartmut H.; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Hattermann, Tore; 2 Norwegian Polar Institute Tromsø Norway Huhn, Oliver; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Sültenfuss, Jürgen; 3 Institute of Environmental Physics University Bremen Germany Østerhus, Svein; 4 Norwegian Research Center Bergen Norway Stulic, Lukrecia; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Ryan, Svenja; 6 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole USA Schröder, Michael; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany Kanzow, Torsten; 1 Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven Germany 2021-05-28 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017269 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9556 eng eng doi:10.1029/2021JC017269 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9556 This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. CC-BY ddc:551.46 Ocean circulation ocean‐ice shelf interaction water masses Weddell Sea Filcher and Ronne shelves doc-type:article 2021 ftsubggeo https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017269 2022-11-09T06:51:40Z The Filchner‐Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS) is characterized by moderate basal melt rates due to the near‐freezing waters that dominate the wide southern Weddell Sea continental shelf. We revisited the region in austral summer 2018 with detailed hydrographic and noble gas surveys along FRIS. The FRIS front was characterized by High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) in Ronne Depression, Ice Shelf Water (ISW) on its eastern flank, and an inflow of modified Warm Deep Water (mWDW) entering through Central Trough. Filchner Trough was dominated by Ronne HSSW‐sourced ISW, likely forced by a recently intensified circulation beneath FRIS due to enhanced sea ice production in the Ronne polynya since 2015. Glacial meltwater fractions and tracer‐based water mass dating indicate two separate ISW outflow cores, one hugging the Berkner slope after a two‐year travel time, and the other located in the central Filchner Trough following a ∼six year‐long transit through the FRIS cavity. Historical measurements indicate the presence of two distinct modes, in which water masses in Filchner Trough were dominated by either Ronne HSSW‐derived ISW (Ronne‐mode) or more locally derived Berkner‐HSSW (Berkner‐mode). While the dominance of these modes has alternated on interannual time scales, ocean densities in Filchner Trough have remained remarkably stable since the first surveys in 1980. Indeed, geostrophic velocities indicated outflowing ISW‐cores along the trough's western flank and onto Berkner Bank, which suggests that Ronne‐ISW preconditions Berkner‐HSSW production. The negligible density difference between Berkner‐ and Ronne‐mode waters indicates that each contributes cold dense shelf waters to protect FRIS against inflowing mWDW. Plain Language Summary: We visited the largest floating Antarctic ice shelf in the southern Weddell Sea in 2018 with an icebreaker expedition, and measured ocean temperature, salinity, meltwater content, and other parameters in front of the FRIS. We found that the ocean conditions were still dominated by the very cold ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Ronne Ice Shelf Sea ice Weddell Sea GEO-LEOe-docs (FID GEO) Antarctic Weddell Sea Austral Weddell Ronne Ice Shelf ENVELOPE(-61.000,-61.000,-78.500,-78.500) Filchner Trough ENVELOPE(-36.000,-36.000,-77.000,-77.000) Berkner Bank ENVELOPE(-48.000,-48.000,-75.000,-75.000) Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 126 6 |