Changes in the Ventilation of the Oxygen Minimum Zone of the Tropical North Atlantic

• DOI: 10.1175/2010jpo4301.1
• Publication Date: 2010-07-31T15:58:24Z
• Authors: Peter Brandt; Verena Hormann; Arne Körtzinger; Martin Visbeck; Gerd Krahmann; Lothar Stramma; Rick Lumpkin; Claudia Schmid
• Keywords: Oxygen minimum zone; Eddy

Abstract Changes in the ventilation of oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) tropical North Atlantic are studied using oceanographic data from 18 research cruises carried out between 28.5° and 23°W during 1999–2008 as well historical referring to period 1972–85. In core OMZ at about 400-m depth, a highly significant decrease 15 μmol kg−1 is found two periods. During same time interval, salinity increased by 0.1. Above OMZ, within central water layer, decreased too, but changed only slightly or even decreased. The scatter local oxygen–salinity relations earlier later suggesting reduced filamentation due mesoscale eddies and/or zonal jets acting on background gradients. Here it suggested that latitudinally alternating with observed amplitudes few centimeters per second depth range contribute OMZ. A conceptual model used corroborate hypothesis changes strength affect mean levels According model, weakening jets, which general agreement hydrographic evidences, associated reduction could significantly deoxygenation