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Main Authors: Roessler, Achim, Rhein, Monika, Kieke, Dagmar, Mertens, Christian
Format: Dataset Open Access
Language:en
Published: PANGAEA 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.864722
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author Roessler, Achim
Rhein, Monika
Kieke, Dagmar
Mertens, Christian
author_facet Roessler, Achim
Rhein, Monika
Kieke, Dagmar
Mertens, Christian
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents In the western North Atlantic, warm and saline water is brought by the North Atlantic Current (NAC) from the subtropics into the subpolar gyre. Four inverted echo sounders with high precision pressure sensors (PIES) were moored between 47°40' N and 52°30' N to study the main pathways of the NAC from the western into the eastern basin. The array configuration that forms three segments (northern, central, and southern) allows partitioning of the NAC and some assessment of NAC flow paths through the different Mid-Atlantic Ridge fracture zones. We exploit the correlation between the NAC transport measured between 2006 and 2010 and the geostrophic velocity from altimeter data to extend the time series of NAC transports to the period from 1992 to 2013. The mean NAC transport over the entire 21 years is 27 ± 5 Sv, consisting of 60% warm water of subtropical origin and 40% subpolar water. We did not find a significant trend in the total transport time series, but individual segments had opposing trends, leading to a more focused NAC in the central subsection and decreasing transports in the southern and northern segments. The spectral analysis exhibits several significant peaks. The two most prominent are around 120 days, identified as the time scale of meanders and eddies, and at 4-9 years, most likely related to the NAO. Transport composites for the years of highest and lowest NAO indices showed a significantly higher transport (+2.9 Sv) during strong NAO years, mainly in the southern segment.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_864722
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2015
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle PIES time series in the North Atlantic at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (2006-2010)
Roessler, Achim
Rhein, Monika
Kieke, Dagmar
Mertens, Christian

In the western North Atlantic, warm and saline water is brought by the North Atlantic Current (NAC) from the subtropics into the subpolar gyre. Four inverted echo sounders with high precision pressure sensors (PIES) were moored between 47°40' N and 52°30' N to study the main pathways of the NAC from the western into the eastern basin. The array configuration that forms three segments (northern, central, and southern) allows partitioning of the NAC and some assessment of NAC flow paths through the different Mid-Atlantic Ridge fracture zones. We exploit the correlation between the NAC transport measured between 2006 and 2010 and the geostrophic velocity from altimeter data to extend the time series of NAC transports to the period from 1992 to 2013. The mean NAC transport over the entire 21 years is 27 ± 5 Sv, consisting of 60% warm water of subtropical origin and 40% subpolar water. We did not find a significant trend in the total transport time series, but individual segments had opposing trends, leading to a more focused NAC in the central subsection and decreasing transports in the southern and northern segments. The spectral analysis exhibits several significant peaks. The two most prominent are around 120 days, identified as the time scale of meanders and eddies, and at 4-9 years, most likely related to the NAO. Transport composites for the years of highest and lowest NAO indices showed a significantly higher transport (+2.9 Sv) during strong NAO years, mainly in the southern segment.
title PIES time series in the North Atlantic at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (2006-2010)
topic
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.864722