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The transition zone between the oceanic and shelf regimes around Antarctica
Abstract
To better understand and describe the Antarctic Slope Front at the Antarctic continental slope, the water masses near Antarctica are examined and their spatial distributions are described. Antarctic Surface Water over the Antarctic shelf regime is distinguished from underlying other water masses by a salinity criterion corresponding to the base of the potential temperature minimum layer of Antarctic Surface Water in the neighboring oceanic regime. This salinity varies with space and time from approximately 34.35 to 34.45, and is 34.40 on average. Antarctic Surface Water has salinities less than the cut-off salinity. Shelf Water is defined as water over the Antarctic shelf regime with salinity greater than the cut-off salinity and potential temperature less than-1.7'C. Low-salinity Shelf Water is distinguished from high-salinity Shelf Water by the maximum potential density of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water ([] = 27.87 kg m-3). Antarctic Slope Front Water is characterized by potential temperature between-1.7'C and about 0.2'C, and salinity greater than the cut-off salinity. Antarctic Slope Front Water, produced by isopycnal mixing of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water with low-salinity Shelf Water, is referred to as low-salinity Antarctic Slope Front Water. High-salinity Antarctic Slope Front Water, produced by diapycnal mixing of low-salinity Antarctic Slope Front Water with high-salinity Shelf Water, is observed with densities greater than the maximum density of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (go = 27.87 kg m-1). Antarctic Slope Front Water is observed everywhere around Antarctica except in the Bellingshausen-Amundsen sector (between 63' and 155'W) along the Antarctic continental slope. The presence of different water masses over the Antarctic continental margin produces V-shaped double meridional gradients: one (sloping down toward Antarctica) over the continental slope between Lower Circumpolar Deep Water and Antarctic Slope Front Water, and the other (sloping down toward the north) over the shelf break between Shelf Water and Antarctic Slope Front Water. The former is referred to as the Antarctic Slope Front, which is found wherever Antarctic Slope Front Water exists. To obtain westward geostrophic flows associated with the V-shape isopleths, shallow and deep references are required for the shelf regime and the oceanic regime, respectively.
Description
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Citation
Kim, Seong-Joong (1995). The transition zone between the oceanic and shelf regimes around Antarctica. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1995 -THESIS -K56.
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