Temperature and salinity variability in thermohaline staircase layers
Name
67613997-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
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3.97 MB
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Checksum (MD5)
2803d6aeb91ec4493c5f67f223c940b9
Author(s)
Stuebe, David Allen
Advisor(s)
Raymond Schmitt.
Date Issued
2005
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
A moored profiler record from the western tropical North Atlantic provides the first continuous time series of temperature, salinity and velocity profiles in a thermohaline staircase. Variations in the intensity of layering and the evolution of layer properties are well documented during the 4.3 month record. Such staircases are the result of strong salt fingering at the interfaces between the mixed layers, and these data provide unique insights into the dynamics of salt fingers. In particular, a striking linear correlation between the temperature and salinity of the layers may be interpreted as resulting from vertical salt finger flux divergences. Data from this record allow new interpretations of previous work on this topic by McDougall (1991).
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Physical Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-67).
Subjects
Joint Program in Physical Oceanography.
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
MIT Department
Joint Program in Physical Oceanography
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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