Transport of Antarctic bottom water through the Kane Gap, tropical NE Atlantic Ocean
We study low-frequency properties of the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) flow through the Kane Gap (9° N) in the Atlantic Ocean. The measurements in the Kane Gap include five visits with CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) sections in 2009–2012 and a year-long record of currents on a mooring using th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2013-09-01
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| Series: | Ocean Science |
| Online Access: | http://www.ocean-sci.net/9/825/2013/os-9-825-2013.pdf |
| Summary: | We study low-frequency properties of the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) flow through the Kane Gap (9° N) in the Atlantic Ocean. The measurements in the Kane Gap include five visits with CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) sections in 2009–2012 and a year-long record of currents on a mooring using three AquaDopp current meters. We found an alternating regime of flow, which changes direction several times during a year. The seasonal signal seems to dominate. The maximum daily average values of southerly velocities reach 0.20 m s<sup>−1</sup>, while the greatest north-northwesterly velocity is as high as 0.15 m s<sup>−1</sup>. The velocity and transport at the bottom are aligned along the slope of a local hill near the southwestern side of the gap. The distribution of velocity directions at the upper boundary of AABW is wider. The transport of AABW (Θ < 1.9 °C) based on the mooring and LADCP (Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data varies approximately within ±0.35 Sv in the northern and southern directions. The annual mean AABW transport through the Kane Gap is almost zero. |
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| ISSN: | 1812-0784 1812-0792 |