NICOP - On the permeability of the Malvinas Current
Abstract
The Malvinas Current (MC) plays a key role in regulating the climate of the Earth, as is theunique current that carries subantarcti"c water properties as far north as 36~S in the southernocean. Because of such role the MC is often recognized as the cold route of" the thermoclinecirculation, a world-wide ocean circulation that redistribute heat and salt around the mainsocean basins. Furtherm""ore, along its path to the North, the MC interacts with the Patagonianshelf-break being the principal actor for sustaining the larg"est phytoplankton bloom observedin the southern ocean. While sea surface temperature and color satellite images suggestthat exchan"ges between the MC and shelf waters are a recurrent feature, drifter buoys donot. Studying such interactions is vital to help addre"ss how much heat and salt is actuallytransported by the MC to the North and what is they role in the fertilization observed alongthe Patagonian shelf-break. Here we propose to compute the parabolic transport barriersassociated to the MC from satellite altimetry#NAME? between fluid dynamics and nonlinear dynamics have led to the unprecedentedpossibility of detecting from a velocity field realization key material lines (transport barriers)that shape global Lagrangian transport patterns. A number of specific questions that we willseek to answer include: How permeable is the MC? Over what timescale does it behave asa transport barrier? How frequently the shelf is subjected to intrusions/extrusions from/intothe open ocean? Where do these exchanges happen more often? What are themechanisms for these exchanges? Do mesoscale eddies play any role in these exchanges?Is topographic stirring relevant?
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 03, 2017
- Source ID
- N629091712151
Entities
People
- Martin Saraceno
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy