In:
Ocean Science, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 14, No. 5 ( 2018-10-29), p. 1329-1347
Abstract:
Abstract. Heat fluxes steered by mesoscale eddies may be a significant, but still not
quantified, source of heat to the surface mixed layer and sea ice cover in
the Arctic Ocean, as well as a source of nutrients for enhancing seasonal
productivity in the near-surface layers. Here we use 4 years (2007–2011)
of velocity and hydrography records from a moored profiler over the Laptev
Sea slope and 15 months (2008–2009) of acoustic Doppler current profiler
data from a nearby mooring to investigate the structure and dynamics of
eddies at the continental margin of the eastern Eurasian Basin. Typical eddy
scales are radii of the order of 10 km, heights of 600 m, and
maximum velocities of ∼0.1 m s−1. Eddies are
approximately equally divided between cyclonic and anticyclonic
polarizations, contrary to prior observations from the deep basins and along
the Lomonosov Ridge. Eddies are present in the mooring records about 20 %–25 % of the time,
taking about 1 week to pass through the mooring at an
average frequency of about one eddy per month. We found that the eddies observed are formed in two distinct regions – near Fram
Strait, where the western branch of Atlantic Water (AW) enters the Arctic
Ocean, and near Severnaya Zemlya, where the Fram Strait and Barents Sea
branches of the AW inflow merge. These eddies, embedded in the Arctic
Circumpolar Boundary Current, carry anomalous water properties along the
eastern Arctic continental slope. The enhanced diapycnal mixing that we
found within EB eddies suggests a potentially important role for eddies in
the vertical redistribution of heat in the Arctic Ocean interior.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1812-0792
DOI:
10.5194/os-14-1329-2018
DOI:
10.5194/os-14-1329-2018-supplement
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2018
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2183769-7
Permalink
