The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow
The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) is an important source of dense water input to the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). It is fed by separate currents from the north that advect dense water masses formed in the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean which then converge at Den...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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2022
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ftuniveastangl:oai:ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk:83402 2023-05-15T15:07:52+02:00 The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow Opher, Jacob G. Brearley, J. Alex Dye, Stephen R. Pickart, Robert S. Renfrew, Ian A. Harden, Ben E. Meredith, Michael P. 2022-04 application/pdf https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/83402/ https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/83402/1/Opher_etal_2022_JGROceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018139 en eng https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/83402/1/Opher_etal_2022_JGROceans.pdf Opher, Jacob G., Brearley, J. Alex, Dye, Stephen R., Pickart, Robert S., Renfrew, Ian A., Harden, Ben E. and Meredith, Michael P. (2022) The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow. Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 127 (4). ISSN 2169-9275 doi:10.1029/2021JC018139 cc_by CC-BY Article PeerReviewed 2022 ftuniveastangl https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018139 2023-01-30T21:56:35Z The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) is an important source of dense water input to the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). It is fed by separate currents from the north that advect dense water masses formed in the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean which then converge at Denmark Strait. Here we identify an annual salinity cycle of the DSO, characterized by freshening in winter and spring. The freshening is linked to freshening of the Shelfbreak East Greenland Current in the Blosseville Basin north of the Denmark Strait. We demonstrate that the East Greenland Current advects fresh pycnocline water above the recirculating Atlantic Water, which forms a low salinity lid for the overflow in Denmark Strait and in the Irminger Basin. This concept is supported by intensified freshening of the DSO in lighter density classes on the Greenland side of the overflow. The salinity of the DSO in the Irminger Basin is significantly correlated with northerly/northeasterly winds in the Blosseville Basin at a lag of 3–4 months, consistent with estimated transit times. This suggests that wind driven variability of DSO source water exerts an important influence on the salinity variability of the downstream DSO, and hence the composition of the deep limb of the AMOC. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean Denmark Strait East Greenland east greenland current Greenland Nordic Seas University of East Anglia: UEA Digital Repository Arctic Arctic Ocean Greenland Irminger Basin ENVELOPE(-36.000,-36.000,61.000,61.000) Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 127 4 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of East Anglia: UEA Digital Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftuniveastangl |
language |
English |
description |
The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) is an important source of dense water input to the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). It is fed by separate currents from the north that advect dense water masses formed in the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean which then converge at Denmark Strait. Here we identify an annual salinity cycle of the DSO, characterized by freshening in winter and spring. The freshening is linked to freshening of the Shelfbreak East Greenland Current in the Blosseville Basin north of the Denmark Strait. We demonstrate that the East Greenland Current advects fresh pycnocline water above the recirculating Atlantic Water, which forms a low salinity lid for the overflow in Denmark Strait and in the Irminger Basin. This concept is supported by intensified freshening of the DSO in lighter density classes on the Greenland side of the overflow. The salinity of the DSO in the Irminger Basin is significantly correlated with northerly/northeasterly winds in the Blosseville Basin at a lag of 3–4 months, consistent with estimated transit times. This suggests that wind driven variability of DSO source water exerts an important influence on the salinity variability of the downstream DSO, and hence the composition of the deep limb of the AMOC. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Opher, Jacob G. Brearley, J. Alex Dye, Stephen R. Pickart, Robert S. Renfrew, Ian A. Harden, Ben E. Meredith, Michael P. |
spellingShingle |
Opher, Jacob G. Brearley, J. Alex Dye, Stephen R. Pickart, Robert S. Renfrew, Ian A. Harden, Ben E. Meredith, Michael P. The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow |
author_facet |
Opher, Jacob G. Brearley, J. Alex Dye, Stephen R. Pickart, Robert S. Renfrew, Ian A. Harden, Ben E. Meredith, Michael P. |
author_sort |
Opher, Jacob G. |
title |
The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow |
title_short |
The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow |
title_full |
The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow |
title_fullStr |
The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow |
title_full_unstemmed |
The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow |
title_sort |
annual salinity cycle of the denmark strait overflow |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/83402/ https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/83402/1/Opher_etal_2022_JGROceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018139 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-36.000,-36.000,61.000,61.000) |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Greenland Irminger Basin |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Greenland Irminger Basin |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Denmark Strait East Greenland east greenland current Greenland Nordic Seas |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Denmark Strait East Greenland east greenland current Greenland Nordic Seas |
op_relation |
https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/83402/1/Opher_etal_2022_JGROceans.pdf Opher, Jacob G., Brearley, J. Alex, Dye, Stephen R., Pickart, Robert S., Renfrew, Ian A., Harden, Ben E. and Meredith, Michael P. (2022) The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow. Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 127 (4). ISSN 2169-9275 doi:10.1029/2021JC018139 |
op_rights |
cc_by |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018139 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
127 |
container_issue |
4 |
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1766339286507978752 |