Published January 17, 2013 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Combining in situ measurements and altimetry to estimate volume

  • 1. Marine Scotland Science, Marine Laboratory, P.O. Box 101, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB, UK
  • 2. Faroe Marine Research Institute, Nóatún 1, P.O. Box 3051, FO 110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
  • 3. Uni Bjerknes Centre, Uni Research and University of Bergen, Norway
  • 4. Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, UK
  • 5. Institut für Meereskunde, Universität Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 53, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

Description

From 1994 to 2011, instruments measuring ocean currents (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers; ADCPs) have been moored on a section crossing the Faroe–Shetland Channel. Together with CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) measurements from regular research vessel occupations, they describe the flow field and water mass structure in the channel. Here, we use these data to calculate the average volume transport and properties of the flow of warm water through the channel from the Atlantic towards the Arctic, termed the Atlantic inflow. We find the average volume transport of this flow to be 2.7 ± 0.5 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s–1) between the shelf edge on the Faroe side and the 150 m isobath on the Shetland side. The average heat transport (relative to 0 °C) was estimated to be 107 ± 21 TW (1 TW = 1012 W) and the average salt import to be 98 ± 20 × 106 kg s−1. Transport values for individual months, based on the ADCP data, include a large level of variability, but can be used to calibrate sea level height data from satellite altimetry. In this way, a time series of volume transport has been generated back to the beginning of satellite altimetry in December 1992. The Atlantic inflow has a seasonal variation in volume transport that peaks around the turn of the year and has an amplitude of 0.7 Sv. The Atlantic inflow has become warmer and more saline since 1994, but no equivalent trend in volume transport was observed.

Files

2-Berx-OA.pdf

Files (975.1 kB)

Name Size Download all
md5:56a73b12cbb65462bbcf4813531140ae
975.1 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Funding

NACLIM – North Atlantic Climate: Predictability of the climate in the North Atlantic/European sector related to North Atlantic/Arctic sea surface temperature and sea ice variability and change 308299
European Commission