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| Titel |
Direct Observations of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current transport on the northern flank of the Kerguelen Plateau |
| VerfasserIn |
Gillian Damerell, Karen Heywood, David Stevens |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2013
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 15 (2013) |
| Datensatznummer |
250082460
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The standing meander in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current found on the northern flank of
the Kerguelen Plateau was investigated during the SOFine (Southern Ocean Finestructure)
cruise in November-December 2008. An 18-year time series of surface geostrophic currents
from satellite altimetry shows that the meander as observed during this survey is typical of
the region. Hydrographic stations were occupied between 65-75°E, 43-48°S on the shelf
(~200 m depth) and slope into the deep ocean to the north of Kerguelen (~4700 m),
providing the most detailed survey of this region to date. Geostrophic shears are referenced to
lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler velocities to give the first estimate of the total
volume transport in this region, and the transport budget is closed around the survey
box. The Subtropical Front, Subantarctic Front and a northern branch of the Polar
Front together have an associated transport of 174 ± 22 Sv eastward. While 174
Sv is large compared with typical Drake Passage transports, it is reconciled with
other estimates of the total transport with the additional 15 Sv of the Indonesian
Throughflow. Baroclinic transport referenced to the deepest common level between
station pairs is 119 Sv, consistent with other estimates of the baroclinic transport in
this area. At this longitude the fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current are
exceptionally close together. We discuss the exchange of properties across the fronts. |
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