High Salinity Shelf Water production rates in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea from high-resolution salinity observations
Miller, U.K.; Zappa, C.J.; Gordon, A.L.; Yoon, S.-T.; Stevens, C.; Lee, W.S. (2024). High Salinity Shelf Water production rates in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea from high-resolution salinity observations. Nature Comm. 15(1): 373. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43880-1
In: Nature Communications. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2041-1723; e-ISSN 2041-1723, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Miller, U.K.
- Zappa, C.J.
- Gordon, A.L.
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- Yoon, S.-T.
- Stevens, C.
- Lee, W.S.
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| Abstract |
High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) formed in the Ross Sea of Antarctica is a precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), a water mass that constitutes the bottom limb of the global overturning circulation. HSSW production rates are poorly constrained, as in-situ observations are scarce. Here, we present high-vertical-and-temporal-resolution salinity time series collected in austral winter 2017 from a mooring in Terra Nova Bay (TNB), one of two major sites of HSSW production in the Ross Sea. We calculate an annual-average HSSW production rate of ~0.4 Sv (106 m3 s−1), which we use to ground truth additional estimates across 2012–2021 made from parametrized net surface heat fluxes. We find sub-seasonal and interannual variability on the order of 0.1 Sv, with a strong dependence on variability in open-water area that suggests a sensitivity of TNB HSSW production rates to changes in the local wind regime and offshore sea ice pack. |
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