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Titel |
Importance of the variability of hydrographic preconditioning for deep convection in the Gulf of Lion, NW Mediterranean |
VerfasserIn |
L. Grignon, D. A. Smeed, H. L. Bryden, K. Schroeder |
Medientyp |
Artikel
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Sprache |
Englisch
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ISSN |
1812-0784
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Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: Ocean Science ; 6, no. 2 ; Nr. 6, no. 2 (2010-06-14), S.573-586 |
Datensatznummer |
250003472
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/os-6-573-2010.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
We study the variability of hydrographic preconditioning defined as the heat
and salt contents in the Ligurian Sea before convection. The stratification
is found to reach a maximum in the intermediate layer in December, whose
causes and consequences for the interannual variability of convection are
investigated. Further study of the interannual variability and correlation
tests between the properties of the deep water formed and the winter surface
fluxes support the description of convection as a process that transfers the
heat and salt contents from the top and intermediate layers to the deep
layer. A proxy for the rate of transfer is given by the final convective
mixed layer depth, that is shown to depend equally on the surface fluxes and
on the preconditioning. In particular, it is found that deep convection in
winter 2004–2005 would have happened even with normal winter conditions, due to
low pre-winter stratification. |
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