High Salinity Shelf Water production rates in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea from high-resolution salinity observations

Una Kim Miller (), Christopher J. Zappa, Arnold L. Gordon, Seung-Tae Yoon, Craig Stevens and Won Sang Lee
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Una Kim Miller: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Christopher J. Zappa: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Arnold L. Gordon: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Seung-Tae Yoon: Kyungpook National University
Craig Stevens: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Won Sang Lee: Korea Polar Research Institute

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) formed in the Ross Sea of Antarctica is a precursor to Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), a water mass that constitutes the bottom limb of the global overturning circulation. HSSW production rates are poorly constrained, as in-situ observations are scarce. Here, we present high-vertical-and-temporal-resolution salinity time series collected in austral winter 2017 from a mooring in Terra Nova Bay (TNB), one of two major sites of HSSW production in the Ross Sea. We calculate an annual-average HSSW production rate of ~0.4 Sv (106 m3 s−1), which we use to ground truth additional estimates across 2012–2021 made from parametrized net surface heat fluxes. We find sub-seasonal and interannual variability on the order of $$0.1$$ 0.1 $${Sv}$$ S v , with a strong dependence on variability in open-water area that suggests a sensitivity of TNB HSSW production rates to changes in the local wind regime and offshore sea ice pack.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43880-1

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