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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2019
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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 |
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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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1796305014931587072 |