Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)

Water mass generation and mixing in the eastern Fram Strait are strongly influenced by the interaction between Atlantic and Arctic waters and by the local atmospheric forcing, which produce dense water that substantially contributes to maintaining the global thermohaline circulation. The West Spitsb...

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Published in:Water
Main Authors: Bensi M., Kovacevic V., Langone L., Aliani S., Ursella L., Goszczko I., Soltwedel T., Skogseth R., Nilsen F., Deponte D., Mansutti P., Laterza R., Rebesco M., Rui L., Lucchi R. G., Wahlin A., Viola A., Beszczynska-Moller A., Rubino A.
Other Authors: Bensi, M., Kovacevic, V., Langone, L., Aliani, S., Ursella, L., Goszczko, I., Soltwedel, T., Skogseth, R., Nilsen, F., Deponte, D., Mansutti, P., Laterza, R., Rebesco, M., Rui, L., Lucchi, R. G., Wahlin, A., Viola, A., Beszczynska-Moller, A., Rubino, A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10278/3716684
https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040683
https://res.mdpi.com/water/water-11-00683/article_deploy/water-11-00683-v2.pdf?filename=&attachment=1
id ftuniveneziairis:oai:iris.unive.it:10278/3716684
record_format openpolar
spelling ftuniveneziairis:oai:iris.unive.it:10278/3716684 2024-04-14T08:07:36+00:00 Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait) Bensi M. Kovacevic V. Langone L. Aliani S. Ursella L. Goszczko I. Soltwedel T. Skogseth R. Nilsen F. Deponte D. Mansutti P. Laterza R. Rebesco M. Rui L. Lucchi R. G. Wahlin A. Viola A. Beszczynska-Moller A. Rubino A. Bensi, M. Kovacevic, V. Langone, L. Aliani, S. Ursella, L. Goszczko, I. Soltwedel, T. Skogseth, R. Nilsen, F. Deponte, D. Mansutti, P. Laterza, R. Rebesco, M. Rui, L. Lucchi, R. G. Wahlin, A. Viola, A. Beszczynska-Moller, A. Rubino, A. 2019 ELETTRONICO http://hdl.handle.net/10278/3716684 https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040683 https://res.mdpi.com/water/water-11-00683/article_deploy/water-11-00683-v2.pdf?filename=&attachment=1 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000473105700053 volume:11 issue:4 firstpage:683 journal:WATER http://hdl.handle.net/10278/3716684 doi:10.3390/w11040683 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85065064633 https://res.mdpi.com/water/water-11-00683/article_deploy/water-11-00683-v2.pdf?filename=&attachment=1 Deep sea thermohaline variability Fram Strait Shelf-slope dynamic Slope current Wind-induced processes Settore GEO/12 - Oceanografia e Fisica dell'Atmosfera info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2019 ftuniveneziairis https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040683 2024-03-21T18:10:17Z Water mass generation and mixing in the eastern Fram Strait are strongly influenced by the interaction between Atlantic and Arctic waters and by the local atmospheric forcing, which produce dense water that substantially contributes to maintaining the global thermohaline circulation. The West Spitsbergen margin is an ideal area to study such processes. Hence, in order to investigate the deep flow variability on short-term, seasonal, and multiannual timescales, two moorings were deployed at ~1040 m depth on the southwest Spitsbergen continental slope. We present and discuss time series data collected between June 2014 and June 2016. They reveal thermohaline and current fluctuations that were largest from October to April, when the deep layer, typically occupied by Norwegian Sea Deep Water, was perturbed by sporadic intrusions of warmer, saltier, and less dense water. Surprisingly, the observed anomalies occurred quasi-simultaneously at both sites, despite their distance (~170 km). We argue that these anomalies may arise mainly by the effect of topographically trapped waves excited and modulated by atmospheric forcing. Propagation of internal waves causes a change in the vertical distribution of the Atlantic water, which can reach deep layers. During such events, strong currents typically precede thermohaline variations without significant changes in turbidity. However, turbidity increases during April-June in concomitance with enhanced downslope currents. Since prolonged injections of warm water within the deep layer could lead to a progressive reduction of the density of the abyssal water moving toward the Arctic Ocean, understanding the interplay between shelf, slope, and deep waters along the west Spitsbergen margin could be crucial for making projections on future changes in the global thermohaline circulation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean Fram Strait Norwegian Sea Svalbard Spitsbergen Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia: ARCA (Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca) Arctic Arctic Ocean Svalbard Norwegian Sea Water 11 4 683
institution Open Polar
collection Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia: ARCA (Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca)
op_collection_id ftuniveneziairis
language English
topic Deep sea thermohaline variability
Fram Strait
Shelf-slope dynamic
Slope current
Wind-induced processes
Settore GEO/12 - Oceanografia e Fisica dell'Atmosfera
spellingShingle Deep sea thermohaline variability
Fram Strait
Shelf-slope dynamic
Slope current
Wind-induced processes
Settore GEO/12 - Oceanografia e Fisica dell'Atmosfera
Bensi M.
Kovacevic V.
Langone L.
Aliani S.
Ursella L.
Goszczko I.
Soltwedel T.
Skogseth R.
Nilsen F.
Deponte D.
Mansutti P.
Laterza R.
Rebesco M.
Rui L.
Lucchi R. G.
Wahlin A.
Viola A.
Beszczynska-Moller A.
Rubino A.
Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)
topic_facet Deep sea thermohaline variability
Fram Strait
Shelf-slope dynamic
Slope current
Wind-induced processes
Settore GEO/12 - Oceanografia e Fisica dell'Atmosfera
description Water mass generation and mixing in the eastern Fram Strait are strongly influenced by the interaction between Atlantic and Arctic waters and by the local atmospheric forcing, which produce dense water that substantially contributes to maintaining the global thermohaline circulation. The West Spitsbergen margin is an ideal area to study such processes. Hence, in order to investigate the deep flow variability on short-term, seasonal, and multiannual timescales, two moorings were deployed at ~1040 m depth on the southwest Spitsbergen continental slope. We present and discuss time series data collected between June 2014 and June 2016. They reveal thermohaline and current fluctuations that were largest from October to April, when the deep layer, typically occupied by Norwegian Sea Deep Water, was perturbed by sporadic intrusions of warmer, saltier, and less dense water. Surprisingly, the observed anomalies occurred quasi-simultaneously at both sites, despite their distance (~170 km). We argue that these anomalies may arise mainly by the effect of topographically trapped waves excited and modulated by atmospheric forcing. Propagation of internal waves causes a change in the vertical distribution of the Atlantic water, which can reach deep layers. During such events, strong currents typically precede thermohaline variations without significant changes in turbidity. However, turbidity increases during April-June in concomitance with enhanced downslope currents. Since prolonged injections of warm water within the deep layer could lead to a progressive reduction of the density of the abyssal water moving toward the Arctic Ocean, understanding the interplay between shelf, slope, and deep waters along the west Spitsbergen margin could be crucial for making projections on future changes in the global thermohaline circulation.
author2 Bensi, M.
Kovacevic, V.
Langone, L.
Aliani, S.
Ursella, L.
Goszczko, I.
Soltwedel, T.
Skogseth, R.
Nilsen, F.
Deponte, D.
Mansutti, P.
Laterza, R.
Rebesco, M.
Rui, L.
Lucchi, R. G.
Wahlin, A.
Viola, A.
Beszczynska-Moller, A.
Rubino, A.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Bensi M.
Kovacevic V.
Langone L.
Aliani S.
Ursella L.
Goszczko I.
Soltwedel T.
Skogseth R.
Nilsen F.
Deponte D.
Mansutti P.
Laterza R.
Rebesco M.
Rui L.
Lucchi R. G.
Wahlin A.
Viola A.
Beszczynska-Moller A.
Rubino A.
author_facet Bensi M.
Kovacevic V.
Langone L.
Aliani S.
Ursella L.
Goszczko I.
Soltwedel T.
Skogseth R.
Nilsen F.
Deponte D.
Mansutti P.
Laterza R.
Rebesco M.
Rui L.
Lucchi R. G.
Wahlin A.
Viola A.
Beszczynska-Moller A.
Rubino A.
author_sort Bensi M.
title Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)
title_short Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)
title_full Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)
title_fullStr Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)
title_full_unstemmed Deep flow variability offshore south-west Svalbard (fram strait)
title_sort deep flow variability offshore south-west svalbard (fram strait)
publishDate 2019
url http://hdl.handle.net/10278/3716684
https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040683
https://res.mdpi.com/water/water-11-00683/article_deploy/water-11-00683-v2.pdf?filename=&attachment=1
geographic Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Svalbard
Norwegian Sea
geographic_facet Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Svalbard
Norwegian Sea
genre Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Fram Strait
Norwegian Sea
Svalbard
Spitsbergen
genre_facet Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Fram Strait
Norwegian Sea
Svalbard
Spitsbergen
op_relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000473105700053
volume:11
issue:4
firstpage:683
journal:WATER
http://hdl.handle.net/10278/3716684
doi:10.3390/w11040683
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85065064633
https://res.mdpi.com/water/water-11-00683/article_deploy/water-11-00683-v2.pdf?filename=&attachment=1
op_doi https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040683
container_title Water
container_volume 11
container_issue 4
container_start_page 683
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