The circulation near the Reykjanes Ridge in summers 2015, 2016 and 2017

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivane Salaün ◽  
Virginie Thierry ◽  
Herlé Mercier
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Subpolar Gyre ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Reykjanes Ridge ◽  
Lower Mode ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

<p>Located south of Iceland, the Reykjanes Ridge is a major topographic structure of the North Atlantic Ocean that strongly influences the spatial distribution and circulation of the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre water masses. Around the ridge, the circulation is composed of two main along-ridge currents, the southwestward East Reykjanes Ridge Current (ERRC) in the Iceland Basin and the northeastward Irminger Current (IC) in the Irminger Sea. To study the along Reykjanes Ridge flow variability and the inter-basin connection through the ridge and connections with the interior of each basin, volume and water mass transports over the Reykjanes Ridge during summer 2015, 2016 and 2017 are analyzed. Data used are velocity and hydrographic measurements carried out along and perpendicular to the crest of the Reykjanes Ridge during the RREX (Reykjanes Ridge Experiment Project) cruises in June–July 2015 and June–July 2017 and BOCATS cruise in July 2016. The new circulation scheme in the area described in 2015  by Petit et al. (J. Geophys. Res., 2018) with flows connecting the ERRC and IC branches at specific locations set by the bathymetry of the ridge is again observed  in 2016 and  2017, with variations concerning the connections with the interiors of the basins. The data set reveals remarkable changes in the hydrological properties and transports of the ERRC, IC and cross ridge flows. The westward transport across the ridge, which represents the subpolar gyre intensity, was estimated at -19.6±3.4 Sv in 2015 and -35.2±3 Sv in 2017. A freshening and a decline in density mainly affecting the Subpolar Mode Water was observed in 2017. It was associated with a lower mode water  transport partly compensated by a higher transport of intermediate and Arctic waters. We further document each water mass contribution to the westward flow of the gyre and the structure of the ERRC and IC.</p>

scholarly journals Mercury distribution and transport in the North Atlantic Ocean along the GEOTRACES-GA01 transect

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 2309-2323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Cossa ◽  
Lars-Eric Heimbürger ◽  
Fiz F. Pérez ◽  
Maribel I. García-Ibáñez ◽  
Jeroen E. Sonke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Labrador Sea ◽  
Subpolar Gyre ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. We report here the results of total mercury (HgT) determinations along the 2014 Geotraces Geovide cruise (GA01 transect) in the North Atlantic Ocean (NA) from Lisbon (Portugal) to the coast of Labrador (Canada). HgT concentrations in unfiltered samples (HgTUNF) were log-normally distributed and ranged between 0.16 and 1.54 pmol L−1, with a geometric mean of 0.51 pmol L−1 for the 535 samples analysed. The dissolved fraction (< 0.45 µm) of HgT (HgTF), determined on 141 samples, averaged 78 % of the HgTUNF for the entire data set, 84 % for open seawaters (below 100 m) and 91 % if the Labrador Sea data are excluded, where the primary production was high (with a winter convection down to 1400 m). HgTUNF concentrations increased eastwards and with depth from Greenland to Europe and from subsurface to bottom waters. The HgTUNF concentrations were similarly low in the subpolar gyre waters ( ∼  0.45 pmol L−1), whereas they exceeded 0.60 pmol L−1 in the subtropical gyre waters. The HgTUNF distribution mirrored that of dissolved oxygen concentration, with highest concentration levels associated with oxygen-depleted zones. The relationship between HgTF and the apparent oxygen utilization confirms the nutrient-like behaviour of Hg in the NA. An extended optimum multiparameter analysis allowed us to characterize HgTUNF concentrations in the different source water types (SWTs) present along the transect. The distribution pattern of HgTUNF, modelled by the mixing of SWTs, show Hg enrichment in Mediterranean waters and North East Atlantic Deep Water and low concentrations in young waters formed in the subpolar gyre and Nordic seas. The change in anthropogenic Hg concentrations in the Labrador Sea Water during its eastward journey suggests a continuous decrease in Hg content in this water mass over the last decades. Calculation of the water transport driven by the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation across the Portugal–Greenland transect indicates northward Hg transport within the upper limb and southward Hg transport within the lower limb, with resulting net northward transport of about 97.2 kmol yr−1.

scholarly journals Multi-decadal uptake of carbon dioxide into subtropical mode water of the North Atlantic Ocean

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 12451-12476 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Subtropical Mode Water ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract. Natural climate variability impacts the multi-decadal uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (Cant) into the North Atlantic Ocean subpolar and subtropical gyres. Previous studies have shown that there is significant uptake of CO2 into the subtropical mode water (STMW) that forms south of the Gulf Stream in winter and constitutes the dominant upper-ocean water mass in the subtropical gyre of the North Atlantic Ocean. Observations at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site near Bermuda show an increase in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of +1.51 ± 0.08 μmol kg−1 yr−1 between 1988 and 2011. It is estimated that the sink of CO2 into STMW was 0.985 ± 0.018 Pg C (Pg = 1015 g C) between 1988 and 2011 (~70 % of which is due to uptake of Cant). However, the STMW sink of CO2 was strongly coupled to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) with large uptake of CO2 into STMW during the 1990s (NAO positive phase). In contrast, uptake of CO2 into STMW was much reduced in the 2000s during the NAO neutral/negative phase. Thus, NAO induced variability of the STMW CO2 sink is important when evaluating multi-decadal changes in North Atlantic Ocean CO2 sinks.

Long-term ventilation changes of Subpolar Mode Waters in the North Atlantic Ocean and its impact on the oxygen distribution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Stendardo ◽  
Bruno Buongiorno Nardelli ◽  
Sara Durante
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Mode Waters ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;In the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean, Subpolar Mode Waters (SPMWs) are formed during late winter convection following the cyclonic circulation of the subpolar gyre. SPMWs participate in the upper flow of the Atlantic overturning circulation (AMOC) and provide much of the water that is eventually transformed into several components of the North Atlantic deep water (NADW), the cold, deep part of the AMOC. In a warming climate, an increase in upper ocean stratification is expected to lead to a reduced ventilation and a loss of oxygen. Thus, understanding how mode waters are affected by ventilation changes will help us to better understand the variability in the AMOC. In particular, we would like to address how the volume occupied by SPMWs has varied over the last decades due to ventilation changes, and what are the aspects driving the subpolar mode water formation, their interannual variations as well as the impact of the variability in the mixing and subduction and vertical dynamics on ocean deoxygenation. For this purpose, we use two observation-based 3D products from Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS), the ARMOR3D and the OMEGA3D datasets. The first consists of 3D temperature and salinity fields, from the surface to 1500 m depth, available weekly over a regular grid at 1/4&amp;#176; horizontal resolution from 1993 to present. The second consists of observation-based quasi-geostrophic vertical and horizontal ocean currents with the same temporal and spatial resolution as ARMOR3D.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals The North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre in Four High-Resolution Models

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Treguier ◽  
S. Theetten ◽  
E. P. Chassignet ◽  
T. Penduff ◽  
R. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Quantitative Comparison ◽  
Subpolar Gyre ◽  
Reykjanes Ridge ◽  
The North ◽  
North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
High Resolution Models

Abstract The authors present the first quantitative comparison between new velocity datasets and high-resolution models in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre [1/10° Parallel Ocean Program model (POPNA10), Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM), ⅙° Atlantic model (ATL6), and Family of Linked Atlantic Ocean Model Experiments (FLAME)]. At the surface, the model velocities agree generally well with World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) drifter data. Two noticeable exceptions are the weakness of the East Greenland coastal current in models and the presence in the surface layers of a strong southwestward East Reykjanes Ridge Current. At depths, the most prominent feature of the circulation is the boundary current following the continental slope. In this narrow flow, it is found that gridded float datasets cannot be used for a quantitative comparison with models. The models have very different patterns of deep convection, and it is suggested that this could be related to the differences in their barotropic transport at Cape Farewell. Models show a large drift in watermass properties with a salinization of the Labrador Sea Water. The authors believe that the main cause is related to horizontal transports of salt because models with different forcing and vertical mixing share the same salinization problem. A remarkable feature of the model solutions is the large westward transport over Reykjanes Ridge [10 Sv (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) or more].

scholarly journals Multi-decadal uptake of carbon dioxide into subtropical mode water of the North Atlantic Ocean

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 2649-2659 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Subtropical Mode Water ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. Natural climate variability impacts the multi-decadal uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (Cant) into the North Atlantic Ocean subpolar and subtropical gyres. Previous studies have shown that there is significant uptake of CO2 into subtropical mode water (STMW) of the North Atlantic. STMW forms south of the Gulf Stream in winter and constitutes the dominant upper-ocean water mass in the subtropical gyre of the North Atlantic Ocean. Observations at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site near Bermuda show an increase in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of +1.51 ± 0.08 μmol kg−1 yr−1 between 1988 and 2011, but also an increase in ocean acidification indicators such as pH at rates (−0.0022 ± 0.0002 yr−1) higher than the surface ocean (Bates et al., 2012). It is estimated that the sink of CO2 into STMW was 0.985 ± 0.018 Pg C (Pg = 1015 g C) between 1988 and 2011 (70 ± 1.8% of which is due to uptake of Cant). The sink of CO2 into the STMW is 20% of the CO2 uptake in the North Atlantic Ocean between 14°–50° N (Takahashi et al., 2009). However, the STMW sink of CO2 was strongly coupled to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with large uptake of CO2 into STMW during the 1990s during a predominantly NAO positive phase. In contrast, uptake of CO2 into STMW was much reduced in the 2000s during the NAO neutral/negative phase. Thus, NAO induced variability of the STMW CO2 sink is important when evaluating multi-decadal changes in North Atlantic Ocean CO2 sinks.

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