Deep Argo reveals Bottom Water properties and pathways in the Australian‐Antarctic basin

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
• Main Authors: Foppert, Annie, Rintoul, Stephen R., Purkey, Sarah G., Zilberman, Nathalie, Kobayashi, Taiyo, Sallée, Jean-Baptiste, Wijk, Esmee M., Wallace, Luke O.
• Other Authors: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies Hobart (IMAS), University of Tasmania Hobart, Australia (UTAS), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO - UC San Diego), University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Processus et interactions de fine échelle océanique (PROTEO), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, CISRO Oceans and Atmosphere, ANR-10-EQPX-0040,NAOS,Observations de l'océan global pour l'étude et la prévision de l'océan et du climat: préparation de la nouvelle décennie d'Argo(2010)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; Antarctic; Australian Antarctic Basin; Australian-Antarctic Basin; Ross Sea; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03560251; https://hal.science/hal-03560251/document; https://hal.science/hal-03560251/file/JGR%20Oceans%20-%202021%20-%20Foppert%20-%20Deep%20Argo%20Reveals%20Bottom%20Water%20Properties%20and%20Pathways%20in%20the%20Australian%25E2%2580%2590Antarctic%20Basin.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017935

International audience Changes in properties and quantity of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) have major implications for the climate system, through sequestration of heat and carbon into, and ventilation of, the abyssal ocean. Yet, it remains one of the most difficult water masses to observe. An array of 12 Deep Argo floats, capable of profiling from the surface to the seafloor and under sea ice, provides a new perspective on AABW in the Australian-Antarctic Basin. Over 2 years of data from the floats illuminate AABW properties with unprecedented detail, simultaneously sampling AABW at multiple locations, year-round, throughout the basin. Calibrating each float individually with nearby, quasi-simultaneous shipboard profiles ensures the highest quality salinity data, with estimated accuracy of ±0.005 or better. Pathways of Ross Sea and Adélie Land Bottom Water (RSBW and ALBW), defined by their unique temperature and salinity characteristics, are mapped along the continental slope from their respective sources. The main pathway of RSBW, identified by its characteristic deep salinity maximum, is inferred to be inshore of the 3,700 m isobath, where it cools and freshens westward along the slope before interacting with ALBW near 140°E. A pulse of very cold and very fresh (nearly −0.6°C, 34.82 g kg −1 ) ALBW appears in February 2019, highlighting temporal variability on daily scales near its source. Deep Argo has greatly enhanced our view of AABW in the Australian-Antarctic Basin and will prove to be an essential tool for monitoring future changes in the deep ocean by drastically increasing observations in a cost-effective way.