Vertical mixing at intermediate depths in the Arctic boundary current

Lenn, Y.D.; Wiles, P.J.; Torres-Valdes, S.; Abrahamsen, E.P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5924-5350; Rippeth, T.P.; Simpson, J.H.; Bacon, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2471-9373; Laxon, S.W.; Polyakov, I.; Ivanov, V.; Kirillov, S.. 2009 Vertical mixing at intermediate depths in the Arctic boundary current. Geophysical Research Letters, 36 (5), L05601. 5, pp. 10.1029/2008GL036792

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Abstract/Summary

Microstructure and hydrographic observations, during September 2007 in the boundary current on the East Siberian continental slope, document upper ocean stratification and along-stream water mass changes. A thin warm surface layer overrides a shallow halocline characterized by a ~40-m thick temperature minimum layer beginning at ~30 m depth. Below the halocline, well-defined thermohaline diffusive staircases extended downwards to warm Atlantic Water intrusions found at 200-800 m depth. Observed turbulent eddy kinetic energy dissipations are extremely low (epsilon <10^-6 W m^-3), such that double diffusive convection dominates the vertical mixing in the upper-ocean. The diffusive convection heat fluxes F^dc_H ~1 W m^-2, are an order of magnitude too small to account for the observed along-stream cooling of the boundary current. Our results implicate circulation patterns and the influence of shelf waters in the evolution of the boundary current waters.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1029/2008GL036792
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Other Special Projects
ISSN:	0094-8276
Additional Keywords:	Arctic boundary current, turbulence, double diffusion
NORA Subject Terms:	Marine Sciences
Date made live:	06 Mar 2009 15:15 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/5919

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