Interannual variability in Pacific Subantarctic Mode Water formation regions

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• Rachael Sanders (British Antarctic Survey)
• Wednesday 27 January 2021, 14:00-15:00
• British Antarctic Survey, Zoom.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Irena Vankova.

Two modes of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) form in the Pacific, in regions of deep winter mixed layers, on the northern side of the Subantarctic Front. Each water mass has experienced significant interannual variability in recent years. In this study, mixed layer temperature and salinity budgets were computed in the formation regions, to determine the drivers of variability in the mixed layer properties. The dominant drivers are shown to be surface buoyancy fluxes, horizontal advection and entrainment. While surface buoyancy fluxes set the depth of the winter mixed layer, strong advection in the lead up to the deepening of the mixed layer also drives strong variability in mixed layer salinity. Salt advection in each water mass formation region is strongly correlated with sea ice area in the northern Ross Sea, at lags of up to two years. Correlation is also found between salt advection in the southeast Pacific SAMW formation region and sea ice area in the northern Amundsen/Bellingshausen Sea, at lags of up to six months.

This talk is part of the British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series series.

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