Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf
Variability in ocean currents, temperature and salinity drive dynamic sea level (DSL) variability on the Northwest European Shelf (NWES). It is dominated by mass variations, with steric signals relatively small. A mechanistic explanation of how ocean dynamics relates to the mass component of NWES se...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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2024
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Online Access: | http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d547d5ca-6d0a-4a1b-b225-26d95b6c6ead https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 |
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fttudelft:oai:tudelft.nl:uuid:d547d5ca-6d0a-4a1b-b225-26d95b6c6ead 2024-06-23T07:55:15+00:00 Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf Wise, A. (author) Calafat, F. M. (author) Hughes, C. W. (author) Jevrejeva, S. (author) Katsman, C.A. (author) Oelsmann, J. (author) Piecuch, C. (author) Polton, J. (author) Richter, K. (author) 2024 http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d547d5ca-6d0a-4a1b-b225-26d95b6c6ead https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 en eng http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192857522&partnerID=8YFLogxK Journal Of Geophysical Research-Oceans--2169-9275--d54e148e-5eef-457f-bce5-fd13675f227e http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d547d5ca-6d0a-4a1b-b225-26d95b6c6ead https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 © 2024 A. Wise, F. M. Calafat, C. W. Hughes, S. Jevrejeva, C.A. Katsman, J. Oelsmann, C. Piecuch, J. Polton, K. Richter AMOC signature coastal trapped wave mass loading North Atlantic eastern boundary remote forcing sea level journal article 2024 fttudelft https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 2024-06-05T00:26:55Z Variability in ocean currents, temperature and salinity drive dynamic sea level (DSL) variability on the Northwest European Shelf (NWES). It is dominated by mass variations, with steric signals relatively small. A mechanistic explanation of how ocean dynamics relates to the mass component of NWES sea level variability is required. We use regional ocean model experiments to isolate sources of variability and then investigate the effect on monthly to-interannual DSL variability together with the simulated momentum budgets along the shelfbreak. Regional (local) wind and non-regional (remote) forcing are important on the NWES. For the local wind forcing, the net mass flux onto the shelf, which drives a shelf-mean mode of DSL variability, results from a combination of surface Ekman, bottom Ekman and geostrophic flows and explains 73% of the variance in transport across the shelf-edge. The geostrophic flow is closely related to wind stress with a flow about half that of surface Ekman transport but in the opposite direction. For the remotely forced mass-flux across the shelf-edge, the geostrophic component explains 62% of the variance and bottom friction plays an important indirect role. The remotely forced variability, while relatively spatially uniform, is more important for explaining DSL variance over the western NWES. This mode of variability is sensitive to signals propagating northward via a thin strip of the southern boundary near the Portuguese coast, consistent with coastal trapped wave signals. It also appears to drive steric height in the Bay of Biscay, which is related to DSL on the shelf. Environmental Fluid Mechanics Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Delft University of Technology: Institutional Repository Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 129 5 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Delft University of Technology: Institutional Repository |
op_collection_id |
fttudelft |
language |
English |
topic |
AMOC signature coastal trapped wave mass loading North Atlantic eastern boundary remote forcing sea level |
spellingShingle |
AMOC signature coastal trapped wave mass loading North Atlantic eastern boundary remote forcing sea level Wise, A. (author) Calafat, F. M. (author) Hughes, C. W. (author) Jevrejeva, S. (author) Katsman, C.A. (author) Oelsmann, J. (author) Piecuch, C. (author) Polton, J. (author) Richter, K. (author) Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf |
topic_facet |
AMOC signature coastal trapped wave mass loading North Atlantic eastern boundary remote forcing sea level |
description |
Variability in ocean currents, temperature and salinity drive dynamic sea level (DSL) variability on the Northwest European Shelf (NWES). It is dominated by mass variations, with steric signals relatively small. A mechanistic explanation of how ocean dynamics relates to the mass component of NWES sea level variability is required. We use regional ocean model experiments to isolate sources of variability and then investigate the effect on monthly to-interannual DSL variability together with the simulated momentum budgets along the shelfbreak. Regional (local) wind and non-regional (remote) forcing are important on the NWES. For the local wind forcing, the net mass flux onto the shelf, which drives a shelf-mean mode of DSL variability, results from a combination of surface Ekman, bottom Ekman and geostrophic flows and explains 73% of the variance in transport across the shelf-edge. The geostrophic flow is closely related to wind stress with a flow about half that of surface Ekman transport but in the opposite direction. For the remotely forced mass-flux across the shelf-edge, the geostrophic component explains 62% of the variance and bottom friction plays an important indirect role. The remotely forced variability, while relatively spatially uniform, is more important for explaining DSL variance over the western NWES. This mode of variability is sensitive to signals propagating northward via a thin strip of the southern boundary near the Portuguese coast, consistent with coastal trapped wave signals. It also appears to drive steric height in the Bay of Biscay, which is related to DSL on the shelf. Environmental Fluid Mechanics |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wise, A. (author) Calafat, F. M. (author) Hughes, C. W. (author) Jevrejeva, S. (author) Katsman, C.A. (author) Oelsmann, J. (author) Piecuch, C. (author) Polton, J. (author) Richter, K. (author) |
author_facet |
Wise, A. (author) Calafat, F. M. (author) Hughes, C. W. (author) Jevrejeva, S. (author) Katsman, C.A. (author) Oelsmann, J. (author) Piecuch, C. (author) Polton, J. (author) Richter, K. (author) |
author_sort |
Wise, A. (author) |
title |
Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf |
title_short |
Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf |
title_full |
Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf |
title_fullStr |
Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf |
title_full_unstemmed |
Using Shelf-Edge Transport Composition and Sensitivity Experiments to Understand Processes Driving Sea Level on the Northwest European Shelf |
title_sort |
using shelf-edge transport composition and sensitivity experiments to understand processes driving sea level on the northwest european shelf |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d547d5ca-6d0a-4a1b-b225-26d95b6c6ead https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192857522&partnerID=8YFLogxK Journal Of Geophysical Research-Oceans--2169-9275--d54e148e-5eef-457f-bce5-fd13675f227e http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d547d5ca-6d0a-4a1b-b225-26d95b6c6ead https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 |
op_rights |
© 2024 A. Wise, F. M. Calafat, C. W. Hughes, S. Jevrejeva, C.A. Katsman, J. Oelsmann, C. Piecuch, J. Polton, K. Richter |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020587 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
129 |
container_issue |
5 |
_version_ |
1802647755648139264 |