Variability of Warm Deep Water Inflow in a Submarine Trough on the Amundsen Sea Shelf

• DOI: 10.1175/jpo-d-12-0157.1
• Publication Date: 2013-05-15T18:56:02Z
• Authors: A. K. Wåhlin; O. Kalén; L. Arneborg; G. Björk; G. K. Carvajal; H. K. Ha; T. W. Kim; S. H. Lee; J. H. Lee; C. Stranne
• Keywords: Circumpolar deep water; Trough (economics); Mooring; Inflow

Abstract The ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea are thinning rapidly, and main reason for their decline appears to be warm ocean currents circulating below melting these from below. Ocean transport dense water onto shelf, channeled by bathymetric troughs leading deep inner basins. A hydrographic mooring equipped with an upward-looking ADCP has been placed one of on central shelf. two years (2010/11) data here used characterize inflow shelf During both years, layer thickness temperature peaked austral fall. along-trough velocity is dominated strong fluctuations that do not vary vertical. These correlated local wind, eastward wind over break giving flow toward shelves. In addition, there a persistent lower Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) bottom layer. This bottom-intensified driven buoyancy forces rather than shelfbreak wind. 2010 2011 were characterized comparatively stationary low, hence no winds during winter could drive upwelling along break. Regardless this, was CDW years. average heat trough estimated 0.95 TW.