The Antarctic Coastal Current and its Influence on the Formation of Bottom Water in the Weddell Sea
applicant
project description
Model results indicate that the Antarctic Coastal Current (AACC) influences the properties of the deep and bottom water properties in the Weddell Sea on long time scales. The aim of this project is to determine the mean fields of current, temperature and salinity of the AACC and their variability. The causes of the variations and their influence on the properties and formation of deep and bottom water in the Weddell Sea will be determined. For this purpose, available data from past cruises with RV Polarstern and those carried out under the framework of the present project are evaluated to describe the temporal and regional variations of the current. The temporal variations are studied on the basis of data from instruments moored on the Greenwich Meridian in the AACC and repeated CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) sections. The spatial variability is addressed by CTD sections on the Greenwich Meridian, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), floats and iceberg marker data. Special emphasis will be given to the freshwater transport related to sea ice and icebergs drifting in the AACC. The investigation should show to what extent the observed variations in the bottom water properties can be related to variations of the ACCC and if they are the results of advection from the east or originate within the Weddell Sea.
DFG-Verfahren: Infrastruktur-Schwerpunktprogramme
term from 2005 to 2009