Observation-based multi-decadal time series of dense shelf water properties (Deliverable D1.11)

In this deliverable, we present a unique dataset that captures the temporal variability of temperature and salinity across the entire water column on Antarctic continental shelves. The temporal evolution of shelf sea water properties is evaluated based on a series of profiles of temperature and salinity anomaly computed by subtracting the hydrography profiles compiled in D1.1 from the gridded 3-D climatology constructed with the same profile compilation. As such, it is possible to evaluate the temporal variation of water mass properties in specific regions by combining anomaly profiles sampled in the vicinity, assuming that the deviation from the mean field in the selected region is spatially coherent. The dataset can facilitate the direct comparison of the dense shelf water formed on the continental shelf, where data is applicable to the abyssal ocean observation of the bottom water properties. The dataset has retained the vertical dimension of the source dataset; therefore, it can also be used to understand the temporal variability of temperature and salinity of different water masses throughout the water column, along with the background mean temperature/salinity profiles. Figure 1 below showcases the information that one can extract from the dataset, exemplified as Hovmöller diagram of the temperature and salinity anomaly over time and depth in the Ross Sea continental shelf. The dataset is published on SEANOE and is freely accessible: https://doi.org/10.17882/109454