Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break
Transport of freshwater from the Labrador Shelf into the interior Labrador Sea has the potential to impact deep convection via its influence on the salinity of surface waters. To examine this transport, the authors deployed two underwater gliders on a mission to traverse the continental shelf break...
Published in: | Journal of Physical Oceanography |
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ftunivrhodeislan:oai:digitalcommons.uri.edu:gsofacpubs-3015 2024-02-04T09:58:26+01:00 Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break Howatt, Tara Palter, Jaime B. Matthews, John Brian Robin deYoung, Brad Bachmayer, Ralf Claus, Brian 2018-05-01T07:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2046 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 unknown DigitalCommons@URI https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2046 doi:10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications Continental shelf/slope Eddies Ekman pumping/transport In situ oceanic observations Transport text 2018 ftunivrhodeislan https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 2024-01-08T19:10:01Z Transport of freshwater from the Labrador Shelf into the interior Labrador Sea has the potential to impact deep convection via its influence on the salinity of surface waters. To examine this transport, the authors deployed two underwater gliders on a mission to traverse the continental shelf break multiple times between 5 July and 22 August 2014, the period when Arctic meltwater has historically peaked in transport down the Labrador Shelf. The field campaign yielded a unique dataset of temperature, salinity, and oxygen across the shelf break to a depth of 1000 m at unprecedented spatial resolution. Two mechanisms of cross-shelf transport were examined: Ekman transport and transport due to mesoscale eddies. Ekman transport is quantified using satellite wind stress and near-surface hydrographic properties, and eddy-induced transport is scaled using a parameterized eddy diffusivity and thickness gradients of layers of uniform potential density, as well as the tracer gradients along those isopycnals. Both the Ekman and eddy terms transport high-oxygen and low-salinity water from the shelf to the Labrador Sea during the field campaign. The influence of the eddy-driven oxygen flux from the shelf to the Labrador Sea on oxygen budgets depends strongly on the size of the region over which this eddy flux converges. The deduced offshore transport of freshwater (4 ± 6 mSv; 1 mSv = 103 m3 s-1) from both Ekman and eddy mechanisms, which is likely at a seasonal maximum during this summertime survey, represents about 3% of the annual-mean freshwater flowing through Hudson and Davis Straits but may be an important component of the total freshwater budget of the interior Labrador Sea. Text Arctic Labrador Sea University of Rhode Island: DigitalCommons@URI Arctic Hudson Labrador Shelf ENVELOPE(-58.000,-58.000,56.000,56.000) Journal of Physical Oceanography 48 5 1015 1031 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Rhode Island: DigitalCommons@URI |
op_collection_id |
ftunivrhodeislan |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Continental shelf/slope Eddies Ekman pumping/transport In situ oceanic observations Transport |
spellingShingle |
Continental shelf/slope Eddies Ekman pumping/transport In situ oceanic observations Transport Howatt, Tara Palter, Jaime B. Matthews, John Brian Robin deYoung, Brad Bachmayer, Ralf Claus, Brian Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break |
topic_facet |
Continental shelf/slope Eddies Ekman pumping/transport In situ oceanic observations Transport |
description |
Transport of freshwater from the Labrador Shelf into the interior Labrador Sea has the potential to impact deep convection via its influence on the salinity of surface waters. To examine this transport, the authors deployed two underwater gliders on a mission to traverse the continental shelf break multiple times between 5 July and 22 August 2014, the period when Arctic meltwater has historically peaked in transport down the Labrador Shelf. The field campaign yielded a unique dataset of temperature, salinity, and oxygen across the shelf break to a depth of 1000 m at unprecedented spatial resolution. Two mechanisms of cross-shelf transport were examined: Ekman transport and transport due to mesoscale eddies. Ekman transport is quantified using satellite wind stress and near-surface hydrographic properties, and eddy-induced transport is scaled using a parameterized eddy diffusivity and thickness gradients of layers of uniform potential density, as well as the tracer gradients along those isopycnals. Both the Ekman and eddy terms transport high-oxygen and low-salinity water from the shelf to the Labrador Sea during the field campaign. The influence of the eddy-driven oxygen flux from the shelf to the Labrador Sea on oxygen budgets depends strongly on the size of the region over which this eddy flux converges. The deduced offshore transport of freshwater (4 ± 6 mSv; 1 mSv = 103 m3 s-1) from both Ekman and eddy mechanisms, which is likely at a seasonal maximum during this summertime survey, represents about 3% of the annual-mean freshwater flowing through Hudson and Davis Straits but may be an important component of the total freshwater budget of the interior Labrador Sea. |
format |
Text |
author |
Howatt, Tara Palter, Jaime B. Matthews, John Brian Robin deYoung, Brad Bachmayer, Ralf Claus, Brian |
author_facet |
Howatt, Tara Palter, Jaime B. Matthews, John Brian Robin deYoung, Brad Bachmayer, Ralf Claus, Brian |
author_sort |
Howatt, Tara |
title |
Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break |
title_short |
Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break |
title_full |
Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break |
title_fullStr |
Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the Labrador Shelf break |
title_sort |
ekman and eddy exchange of freshwater and oxygen across the labrador shelf break |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@URI |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2046 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-58.000,-58.000,56.000,56.000) |
geographic |
Arctic Hudson Labrador Shelf |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Hudson Labrador Shelf |
genre |
Arctic Labrador Sea |
genre_facet |
Arctic Labrador Sea |
op_source |
Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/2046 doi:10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0148.1 |
container_title |
Journal of Physical Oceanography |
container_volume |
48 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1015 |
op_container_end_page |
1031 |
_version_ |
1789962878829199360 |