Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean
The Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean is the world’s main production site of Antarctic Bottom Water, a water-mass that is ventilated at the ocean surface before sinking and entraining older water-masses—ultimately replenishing the abyssal global ocean. In recent decades, numerous attempts at est...
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ftunnottinghamrr:oai:nottingham-repository.worktribe.com:5415200 2023-05-15T13:45:45+02:00 Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean Akhoudas, Camille Hayatte Haumann, F. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Garabato, Alberto Naveira Reverdin, Gilles Aloisi, Giovanni Benetti, Marion Leng, Melanie J. Arrowsmith, Carol 2021-03-24 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/5415200/1/s41598-021-86043-2 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5415200 unknown Nature Publishing Group https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5415200 Scientific Reports Volume 11 Issue 1 doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/5415200/1/s41598-021-86043-2 2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ CC-BY Multidisciplinary Journal Article publishedVersion 2021 ftunnottinghamrr https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 2022-10-13T22:16:20Z The Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean is the world’s main production site of Antarctic Bottom Water, a water-mass that is ventilated at the ocean surface before sinking and entraining older water-masses—ultimately replenishing the abyssal global ocean. In recent decades, numerous attempts at estimating the rates of ventilation and overturning of Antarctic Bottom Water in this region have led to a strikingly broad range of results, with water transport-based calculations (8.4–9.7 Sv) yielding larger rates than tracer-based estimates (3.7–4.9 Sv). Here, we reconcile these conflicting views by integrating transport- and tracer-based estimates within a common analytical framework, in which bottom water formation processes are explicitly quantified. We show that the layer of Antarctic Bottom Water denser than 28.36 kg m−3 γn is exported northward at a rate of 8.4 ± 0.7 Sv, composed of 4.5 ± 0.3 Sv of well-ventilated Dense Shelf Water, and 3.9 ± 0.5 Sv of old Circumpolar Deep Water entrained into cascading plumes. The majority, but not all, of the Dense Shelf Water (3.4 ± 0.6 Sv) is generated on the continental shelves of the Weddell Sea. Only 55% of AABW exported from the region is well ventilated and thus draws down heat and carbon into the deep ocean. Our findings unify traditionally contrasting views of Antarctic Bottom Water production in the Atlantic sector, and define a baseline, process-discerning target for its realistic representation in climate models. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea University of Nottingham: Repository@Nottingham Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea Weddell Scientific Reports 11 1 |
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University of Nottingham: Repository@Nottingham |
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ftunnottinghamrr |
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unknown |
topic |
Multidisciplinary |
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Multidisciplinary Akhoudas, Camille Hayatte Haumann, F. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Garabato, Alberto Naveira Reverdin, Gilles Aloisi, Giovanni Benetti, Marion Leng, Melanie J. Arrowsmith, Carol Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean |
topic_facet |
Multidisciplinary |
description |
The Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean is the world’s main production site of Antarctic Bottom Water, a water-mass that is ventilated at the ocean surface before sinking and entraining older water-masses—ultimately replenishing the abyssal global ocean. In recent decades, numerous attempts at estimating the rates of ventilation and overturning of Antarctic Bottom Water in this region have led to a strikingly broad range of results, with water transport-based calculations (8.4–9.7 Sv) yielding larger rates than tracer-based estimates (3.7–4.9 Sv). Here, we reconcile these conflicting views by integrating transport- and tracer-based estimates within a common analytical framework, in which bottom water formation processes are explicitly quantified. We show that the layer of Antarctic Bottom Water denser than 28.36 kg m−3 γn is exported northward at a rate of 8.4 ± 0.7 Sv, composed of 4.5 ± 0.3 Sv of well-ventilated Dense Shelf Water, and 3.9 ± 0.5 Sv of old Circumpolar Deep Water entrained into cascading plumes. The majority, but not all, of the Dense Shelf Water (3.4 ± 0.6 Sv) is generated on the continental shelves of the Weddell Sea. Only 55% of AABW exported from the region is well ventilated and thus draws down heat and carbon into the deep ocean. Our findings unify traditionally contrasting views of Antarctic Bottom Water production in the Atlantic sector, and define a baseline, process-discerning target for its realistic representation in climate models. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Akhoudas, Camille Hayatte Haumann, F. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Garabato, Alberto Naveira Reverdin, Gilles Aloisi, Giovanni Benetti, Marion Leng, Melanie J. Arrowsmith, Carol |
author_facet |
Akhoudas, Camille Hayatte Haumann, F. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Garabato, Alberto Naveira Reverdin, Gilles Aloisi, Giovanni Benetti, Marion Leng, Melanie J. Arrowsmith, Carol |
author_sort |
Akhoudas, Camille Hayatte |
title |
Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean |
title_short |
Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean |
title_full |
Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ventilation of the abyss in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean |
title_sort |
ventilation of the abyss in the atlantic sector of the southern ocean |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/5415200/1/s41598-021-86043-2 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5415200 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5415200 Scientific Reports Volume 11 Issue 1 doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/5415200/1/s41598-021-86043-2 2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 |
op_rights |
openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86043-2 |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1766230454499803136 |