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Titel |
A quantitative description of the Norwegian Atlantic Current by combining altimetry and hydrography |
VerfasserIn |
K. A. Mork, Ø. Skagseth |
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. 4 ; Nr. 6, no. 4 (2010-10-22), S.901-911 |
Datensatznummer |
250003680
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/os-6-901-2010.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
In this study, we quantified the mean flow and the variability in
the Norwegian Atlantic Current (NwAC), including the individual
branches, with associated error estimates. We accomplished this by
combining repeated hydrographic data in the Svinøy section (at
62° N off the coast of Norway toward the northwest) with
absolute dynamic sea surface topography data for the period from
1992–2009. The analysis shows a two-branched structure of the NwAC
in this section, with calculated absolute velocities that are
largely in accordance with the independent current measurements. The
mean volume flux of the NwAC was estimated to be 5.1 ± 0.3 Sv
(Sv = 106 m3 s−1). In terms of branches, the
estimated 3.4 ± 0.3 Sv in the eastern branch is slightly
below previous estimates. The estimated volume flux in the western
branch is 1.7 ± 0.2 Sv, but a lack of robust estimates makes
a comparison difficult. There is a significant seasonal cycle in the
volume transport (the winter maximum is almost twice as large as the
summer minimum) with a major contribution from the eastern branch.
On the inter-annual scale, the volume flux and temperature are
significantly and negatively correlated in both the western branch
and in the total. Examining the results showed that increased volume
flux is followed by a decrease in the stability of the upper water
column, averaged over the Norwegian Sea, and a delay in the
phytoplankton spring bloom at the Ocean Weather Station M
(66° N, 2° E), by a lag of 1 year. The cause of this
decrease in stability, whether a direct effect of the increased
volume flux or a consequence of indirect effects, is however beyond
the scope of this study. |
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