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Thermohaline circulation of shallow tidal seas

Thermohaline circulation of shallow tidal seas
Thermohaline circulation of shallow tidal seas
The mechanisms controlling the temperature and salinity structure of shallow continental shelf seas have been understood for over thirty years, yet knowledge of what drives their large-scale circulation has remained relatively unknown. Here we describe a decade long programme of measurements, using satellite-tracked drifting buoys on the northwest European shelf, to draw attention to a striking picture of highly organised thermohaline circulation consisting of narrow, near surface, fast flowing jets. These are ubiquitous above sharp horizontal gradients in bottom temperatures and/or salinities. The circulation phenomena we describe are likely to be prevalent on all similar, wide, tidally energetic continental shelves including those off north-eastern China, Argentina and parts of the Arctic. The robust, repeatable observation of the key role of jets above bottom fronts results in a fundamental reassessment of how we view the dynamics of shelf seas.
circulation, thermohaline, fronts
0094-8276
L11605
Hill, A.E.
c636abfd-40b2-4545-9f81-7c56d2444525
Brown, J.
64c8be68-e3cb-49ff-b5b0-525db5f4bcd0
Fernand, L.
676e9cd7-a75c-40fc-a588-85f50c541c22
Holt, J.
03dc0649-75fa-4c05-bee9-6beaa1b5fc89
Horsburgh, K.J.
cefa02ee-5150-4d3d-a3a0-cffcc0ed28b1
Proctor, R.
991c42c3-7207-4509-a1b4-4e177ff3ac06
Raine, R.
b7d3c11b-ad87-428a-9857-41b9a6366cc4
Turrell, W.R.
4aafea02-5166-4180-b801-68a76a09e89f
Hill, A.E.
c636abfd-40b2-4545-9f81-7c56d2444525
Brown, J.
64c8be68-e3cb-49ff-b5b0-525db5f4bcd0
Fernand, L.
676e9cd7-a75c-40fc-a588-85f50c541c22
Holt, J.
03dc0649-75fa-4c05-bee9-6beaa1b5fc89
Horsburgh, K.J.
cefa02ee-5150-4d3d-a3a0-cffcc0ed28b1
Proctor, R.
991c42c3-7207-4509-a1b4-4e177ff3ac06
Raine, R.
b7d3c11b-ad87-428a-9857-41b9a6366cc4
Turrell, W.R.
4aafea02-5166-4180-b801-68a76a09e89f

Hill, A.E., Brown, J., Fernand, L., Holt, J., Horsburgh, K.J., Proctor, R., Raine, R. and Turrell, W.R. (2008) Thermohaline circulation of shallow tidal seas. Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L11605. (doi:10.1029/2008GL033459). (Submitted)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The mechanisms controlling the temperature and salinity structure of shallow continental shelf seas have been understood for over thirty years, yet knowledge of what drives their large-scale circulation has remained relatively unknown. Here we describe a decade long programme of measurements, using satellite-tracked drifting buoys on the northwest European shelf, to draw attention to a striking picture of highly organised thermohaline circulation consisting of narrow, near surface, fast flowing jets. These are ubiquitous above sharp horizontal gradients in bottom temperatures and/or salinities. The circulation phenomena we describe are likely to be prevalent on all similar, wide, tidally energetic continental shelves including those off north-eastern China, Argentina and parts of the Arctic. The robust, repeatable observation of the key role of jets above bottom fronts results in a fundamental reassessment of how we view the dynamics of shelf seas.

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More information

Submitted date: 2008
Keywords: circulation, thermohaline, fronts
Organisations: National Oceanography Centre,Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 57698
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/57698
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 0e25f6ee-7ede-415f-9279-b0561ed28063

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Date deposited: 08 Aug 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:08

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Contributors

Author: A.E. Hill
Author: J. Brown
Author: L. Fernand
Author: J. Holt
Author: K.J. Horsburgh
Author: R. Proctor
Author: R. Raine
Author: W.R. Turrell

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