Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea
Hydrographic data are analyzed for the broad continental shelf of the Bellingshausen Sea, which is host to a number of rapidly thinning ice shelves. The flow of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) onto the continental shelf is observed in the two major glacially carved troughs, the Belgica and Latady...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/140392 |
| _version_ | 1811091111840579584 |
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| author | Ruan, Xiaozhou Speer, Kevin G. Thompson, Andrew F. Schulze Chretien, Lena M. Shoosmith, Deborah R. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Ruan, Xiaozhou Speer, Kevin G. Thompson, Andrew F. Schulze Chretien, Lena M. Shoosmith, Deborah R. |
| author_sort | Ruan, Xiaozhou |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Hydrographic data are analyzed for the broad continental shelf of the Bellingshausen Sea, which is host to a number of rapidly thinning ice shelves. The flow of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) onto the continental shelf is observed in the two major glacially carved troughs, the Belgica and Latady troughs. Using ship-based measurements of potential temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen, collected across several coast-to-coast transects over the Bellingshausen shelf in 2007, the velocity and circulation patterns are inferred based on geostrophic balance and further constrained by the tracer and mass budgets. Meltwater was observed at the surface and at intermediate depth toward the western side of the continental shelf, collocated with inferred outflows. The maximum conversion rate from the dense CDW to lighter water masses by mixing with glacial meltwater is estimated to be 0.37 ± 0.1 Sv in both depth and potential density spaces. This diapycnal overturning is comparable to previous estimates made in the neighboring Amundsen Sea, highlighting the overlooked importance of water mass modification and meltwater production associated with glacial melting in the Bellingshausen Sea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:57:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/140392 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:57:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1403922024-06-06T19:35:24Z Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea Ruan, Xiaozhou Speer, Kevin G. Thompson, Andrew F. Schulze Chretien, Lena M. Shoosmith, Deborah R. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Hydrographic data are analyzed for the broad continental shelf of the Bellingshausen Sea, which is host to a number of rapidly thinning ice shelves. The flow of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) onto the continental shelf is observed in the two major glacially carved troughs, the Belgica and Latady troughs. Using ship-based measurements of potential temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen, collected across several coast-to-coast transects over the Bellingshausen shelf in 2007, the velocity and circulation patterns are inferred based on geostrophic balance and further constrained by the tracer and mass budgets. Meltwater was observed at the surface and at intermediate depth toward the western side of the continental shelf, collocated with inferred outflows. The maximum conversion rate from the dense CDW to lighter water masses by mixing with glacial meltwater is estimated to be 0.37 ± 0.1 Sv in both depth and potential density spaces. This diapycnal overturning is comparable to previous estimates made in the neighboring Amundsen Sea, highlighting the overlooked importance of water mass modification and meltwater production associated with glacial melting in the Bellingshausen Sea. 2022-02-16T14:56:27Z 2022-02-16T14:56:27Z 2021-05-03 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 2169-9275 2169-9291 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/140392 Ruan, X., Speer, K. G., Thompson, A. F., Schulze Chretien, L. M., & Shoosmith, D. R. (2021). Ice-shelf meltwater overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126, e2020JC016957. en http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020jc016957 Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Geophysical Union (AGU) Wiley |
| spellingShingle | Ruan, Xiaozhou Speer, Kevin G. Thompson, Andrew F. Schulze Chretien, Lena M. Shoosmith, Deborah R. Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea |
| title | Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea |
| title_full | Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea |
| title_fullStr | Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea |
| title_short | Ice‐Shelf Meltwater Overturning in the Bellingshausen Sea |
| title_sort | ice shelf meltwater overturning in the bellingshausen sea |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/140392 |
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