Observations of Upwelling and Downwelling Around Antarctica Mediated by Sea Ice
Name
fmars-09-864808.pdf
Description
Published version
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35.26 MB
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Unknown
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092ad8357dfed23ad8dd64faa091ff42
Author(s)
Ramadhan, Ali
Marshall, John
Meneghello, Gianluca
Illari, Lodovica
Speer, Kevin
Date Issued
June 2022
Journal
Frontiers in Marine Science
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Citation
Ramadhan, Ali, Marshall, John, Meneghello, Gianluca, Illari, Lodovica and Speer, Kevin. 2022. "Observations of Upwelling and Downwelling Around Antarctica Mediated by Sea Ice." Frontiers in Marine Science, 9 (Frontiers in Marine Science).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
We infer circumpolar maps of stress imparted to the ocean by the wind, mediated by sea-ice, in and around the Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ) of Antarctica. In the open ocean we compute the wind stress using surface winds from daily atmospheric reanalyses and applying bulk formulae. In the presence of sea ice, the stress imparted to the underlying ocean is computed from satellite observations of daily ice concentration and drift velocity assuming, first, that the ocean geostrophic currents beneath are negligible, and then including surface geostrophic ocean currents inferred from satellite altimetry. In this way maps of surface ocean stress in the SIZ are obtained. The maps are discussed and interpreted, and their importance in setting the circulation emphasised. Just as in parallel observational studies in the Arctic, we find that ocean currents significantly modify the stress field, the sense of the surface ageostrophic flow and thus pathways of exchange across the SIZ. Maps of Ekman pumping reveal broad patterns of upwelling within the SIZ enhanced near the sea ice edge, which are offset by strong narrow downwelling regions adjacent to the Antarctic continent.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.864808
