Observational evidence for on-shelf heat transport driven by dense water export in the Weddell Sea
Elin Darelius, Kjersti Daae, Vår Dundas, Ilker Fer, Hartmut Hellmer, Markus Janout, Keith W. Nicholls, Jean‐Baptiste Sallée, Svein Østerhus
Abstract
The transport of oceanic heat towards the Antarctic continental margin is central to the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Recent modeling efforts challenge our view on where and how the on-shelf heat flux occurs, suggesting that it is largest where dense shelf waters cascade down the continental slope. Here we provide observational evidence supporting this claim. Using records from moored instruments, we link the downslope flow of dense water from the Filchner overflow to upslope and on-shelf flow of warm water.
Topics & Concepts
Ice shelfOceanographyContinental shelfGeologyWeddell Sea Bottom WaterWater massContinental marginIcebergAntarctic Bottom WaterHeat flowClimatologySea iceMeteorologyPaleontologyCryosphereGeographyThermalTectonicsCryospheric studies and observationsArctic and Antarctic ice dynamicsGeology and Paleoclimatology Research