Northeast Atlantic Post-Eemian Paleooceanography: a Predictive Analog of the Future

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McIntyre ◽  
William F. Ruddiman
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Present Position ◽  
Ne Atlantic ◽  
Northeast Atlantic ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Eastern Flank ◽  
Mid Atlantic Ridge

Samples representing the post-Eemian cool interval (approx 110,000 yr BP) were taken from 15 cores on the eastern flank of the mid-Atlantic Ridge from 42°N to 61°N lat. The floral-faunal assemblages in these samples characterize the surface paleooceanography which we consider a possible analog to the cooling expected to follow the present warm interval. The derived paleooceanographic map indicates at least a 16° lat southward displacement of cooled water masses from today. The present position of the Transitional water mass which gives N. Europe its equitable climate was then occupied by Subpolar water while the Polar Front extended south of Iceland. The result was a drop in annual temperature of the NE Atlantic surface water by at least 5°C.

scholarly journals A New Characterization of the Upper Waters of the central Gulf of México based on Water Mass Hydrographic and Biogeochemical Characteristics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Yareli Cervantes-Diaz ◽  
Jose Martín Hernández-Ayón ◽  
Alberto Zirino ◽  
Sharon Zinah Herzka ◽  
Victor Camacho-Ibar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Mesoscale Processes

Abstract. In the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) at least three near-surface water masses are affected by mesoscale processes that modulate the biogeochemical cycles. Prior studies have presented different classifications of water masses where the greater emphasis was on deep waters and not on the surface waters (σθ 

NE Atlantic surface water mass changes over the last 15 kyr

2009 ◽  
Vol 282 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 58-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Smart ◽  
Mark A. Maslin ◽  
Katherine E. Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Ne Atlantic

scholarly journals Aegean Sea Water Masses during the Early Stages of the Eastern Mediterranean Climatic Transient (1988–90)

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1841-1859 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Gertman ◽  
N. Pinardi ◽  
Y. Popov ◽  
A. Hecht
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Cretan Sea

Abstract The Aegean water masses and circulation structure are studied via two large-scale surveys performed during the late winters of 1988 and 1990 by the R/V Yakov Gakkel of the former Soviet Union. The analysis of these data sheds light on the mechanisms of water mass formation in the Aegean Sea that triggered the outflow of Cretan Deep Water (CDW) from the Cretan Sea into the abyssal basins of the eastern Mediterranean Sea (the so-called Eastern Mediterranean Transient). It is found that the central Aegean Basin is the site of the formation of Aegean Intermediate Water, which slides southward and, depending on their density, renews either the intermediate or the deep water of the Cretan Sea. During the winter of 1988, the Cretan Sea waters were renewed mainly at intermediate levels, while during the winter of 1990 it was mainly the volume of CDW that increased. This Aegean water mass redistribution and formation process in 1990 differed from that in 1988 in two major aspects: (i) during the winter of 1990 the position of the front between the Black Sea Water and the Levantine Surface Water was displaced farther north than during the winter of 1988 and (ii) heavier waters were formed in 1990 as a result of enhanced lateral advection of salty Levantine Surface Water that enriched the intermediate waters with salt. In 1990 the 29.2 isopycnal rose to the surface of the central basin and a large volume of CDW filled the Cretan Basin. It is found that, already in 1988, the 29.2 isopycnal surface, which we assume is the lowest density of the CDW, was shallower than the Kassos Strait sill and thus CDW egressed into the Eastern Mediterranean.

Water Mass Transformation and Subduction in the South Atlantic

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 1841-1860 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Donners ◽  
S. S. Drijfhout ◽  
W. Hazeleger
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Abstract The transformation of water masses induced by air–sea fluxes in the South Atlantic Ocean is calculated with a global ocean model, Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modeling (OCCAM), and has been compared with several observational datasets. Air–sea interaction supplies buoyancy to the ocean at almost all density levels. The uncertainty of the estimates of water mass transformations is at least 10 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1), largely caused by the uncertainties in heat fluxes. Further analysis of the buoyancy budget of the mixed layer in the OCCAM model shows that diffusion extracts buoyancy from the water column at all densities. In agreement with observations, water mass formation of surface water by air–sea interaction is completely balanced by consumption from diffusion. There is a large interocean exchange with the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Intermediate water is imported from the Pacific, and light surface water is imported from the Indian Ocean. South Atlantic Central Water and denser water masses are exported to the Indian Ocean. The air–sea formation rate is only a qualitative estimate of the sum of subduction and interocean exchange. Subduction generates teleconnections between the South Atlantic and remote areas where these water masses reemerge in the mixed layer. Therefore, the subduction is analyzed with a Lagrangian trajectory analysis. Surface water obducts in the South Atlantic, while all other water masses experience net subduction. The subducted Antarctic Intermediate Water and Subantarctic Mode Water reemerge mainly in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current farther downstream. Lighter waters reemerge in the eastern tropical Atlantic. As a result, the extratropical South Atlantic has a strong link with the tropical Atlantic basin and only a weak direct link with the extratropical North Atlantic. The impact of the South Atlantic on the upper branch of the thermohaline circulation is indirect: water is significantly transformed by air–sea fluxes and mixing in the South Atlantic, but most of it reemerges and subducts again farther downstream.

scholarly journals Properties and mass transport differences across the Falkland Plateau between 1999 and 2010

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dolores Pérez-Hernández ◽  
Alonso Hernández-Guerra ◽  
Isis Comas-Rodríguez ◽  
Verónica M. Benítez-Barrios ◽  
Eugenio Fraile-Nuez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Mass Transport ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
Falkland Islands ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Seasonal Thermocline ◽  
Subantarctic Mode Water

Abstract. Decadal differences in the Falkland Plateau are studied from full-depth hydrographic data collected during the ALBATROSS (April 1999) and MOC2-Austral (February 2010) cruises. Differences in the upper 100 dbar are due to changes in the seasonal thermocline, as the ALBATROSS cruise took place in the austral fall while the MOC-Austral in summer. The intermediate water masses seem to be very sensible to the wind conditions existing on their formation area, showing cooling and freshening for the decade as consequence of a higher Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) contribution and of a decrease of the Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) stratum. The deeper layers do not exhibit any significant change in the water masses properties. The Subantarctic Front (SAF) in 1999 is observed at 52.2–54.8° W with a relative mass transport of 32.6 Sv. In contrast, the SAF gets wider in 2010, stretching from 51.1° W to 57.2° W (the Falkland Islands), and weakening to 17.9 Sv. Changes in the SAF are mainly affecting the northward flow of Subantarctic Surface Water (SASW), SAMW and AAIW/ Antarctic Surface Water (AASW). The Polar Front (PF) carries 24.9 Sv in 1999 (49.8–44.4° W), while in 2010 (49.9–49.2° W) it narrows and strengthens to 37.3 Sv.

scholarly journals Differences between 1999 and 2010 across the Falkland Plateau: fronts and water masses

Ocean Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-587
Author(s):  
M. Dolores Pérez-Hernández ◽  
Alonso Hernández-Guerra ◽  
Isis Comas-Rodríguez ◽  
Verónica M. Benítez-Barrios ◽  
Eugenio Fraile-Nuez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
Relative Mass ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Seasonal Thermocline ◽  
Subantarctic Mode Water ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
Mass Properties

Abstract. Decadal differences in the Falkland Plateau are studied from the two full-depth hydrographic data collected during the ALBATROSS (April 1999) and MOC-Austral (February 2010) cruises. Differences in the upper 100 dbar are due to changes in the seasonal thermocline, as the ALBATROSS cruise took place in the austral fall and the MOC-Austral cruise in summer. The intermediate water masses seem to be very sensitive to the wind conditions existing in their formation area, showing cooling and freshening for the decade as a consequence of a higher Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) contribution and of a decrease in the Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) stratum. The deeper layers do not exhibit any significant change in the water mass properties. The Subantarctic Front (SAF) in 1999 is observed at 52.2–54.8° W with a relative mass transport of 32.6 Sv. In contrast, the SAF gets wider in 2010, stretching from 51.1 to 57.2° W (the Falkland Islands), and weakening to 17.9 Sv. Changes in the SAF can be linked with the westerly winds and mainly affect the northward flow of Subantarctic Surface Water (SASW), SAMW and AAIW/Antarctic Surface Water (AASW). The Polar Front (PF) carries 24.9 Sv in 1999 (49.8–44.4° W), while in 2010 (49.9–49.2° W) it narrows and strengthens to 37.3 Sv.

scholarly journals Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeniy Yakushev ◽  
Anna Gebruk ◽  
Alexander Osadchiev ◽  
Svetlana Pakhomova ◽  
Amy Lusher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Water Masses ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Siberian River ◽  
Highest Weight ◽  
Surface Samples ◽  
Atlantic Origin ◽  
Type Size

AbstractPlastic pollution is globally recognised as a threat to marine ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife, and it has now reached remote locations such as the Arctic Ocean. Nevertheless, the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic is particularly underreported. Here we present analyses of 60 subsurface pump water samples and 48 surface neuston net samples from the Eurasian Arctic with the goal to quantify and classify microplastics in relation to oceanographic conditions. In our study area, we found on average 0.004 items of microplastics per m3 in the surface samples, and 0.8 items per m3 in the subsurface samples. Microplastic characteristics differ significantly between Atlantic surface water, Polar surface water and discharge plumes of the Great Siberian Rivers, allowing identification of two sources of microplastic pollution (p < 0.05 for surface area, morphology, and polymer types). The highest weight concentration of microplastics was observed within surface waters of Atlantic origin. Siberian river discharge was identified as the second largest source. We conclude that these water masses govern the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic. The microplastics properties (i.e. abundance, polymer type, size, weight concentrations) can be used for identification of the water masses.

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