9th ASOF ISSG Meeting Bergen 8th November 2011
2011 IOPAS physical oceanography activities
Atlantic Water in the Nordic Seas – time series
Waldemar Walczowski Strategic Direction of IO PAN Research
I. Role of the oceans in climate change and its effects for the European Seas I.4. Investigation of the Thermohaline Circulation Processes
AWAKE Arctic Climate and Environment of the Nordic Seas and the Svalbard - Greenland Area Physical oceanographers from the IOPAS investigate the Atlantic Water pathways and transports in the north-eastern part of the Nordic Seas.
AW circulation and modification in this region are the important processes maintaining the global climate component – the Thermohaline Circulation
NAC North Atlantic Current NwAC Norwegian-Atlantic Current NwASC Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current WSC West Spitsbergen Current IC Irminger Current Arex Cruises •10-11 sections •~200 CTD profiles •~200 LADCP profiles • Towed CTD – high resolution section •West Spitsbergen fiords investigations S/Y Oceania after modernisation
• Eingine Diesel, 600 kW MTU • Sails 280 m2 • Maximal speed 12 kn • 12 persons crew • 14 scientists • AWAKE Arctic Climate and Environment of the Nordic Seas and the Svalbard - Greenland Area
Arex 2011 • 11 sections • 151 CTD profiles • 151 LADCP profiles • Towed CTD – high resolution section • West Spitsbergen fiords investigations AWAKE Arctic Climate and Environment of the Nordic Seas and the Svalbard - Greenland Area Hydrography of the West Spitsbergen Current Temperature distribution at 100 dbar Summers 2000-2009 Hydrography of the West Spitsbergen Current Temperature distribution at 100 dbar Summers 2009-2011 Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar
Horizontal distributions constructed for last years are supplement by the data from Gimsoy Section provided by Institute of Marine Research, Bergen. Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Temperature and baroclinic currents at 100 dbar Mean baroclinic currents at 100 dbar
Mean flow kinetic energy at 100 dbar Mean baroclinic currents at 100 dbar, Flow components rotated by 30 deg Properties of Atlantic Water (T>0 oC, S>34.92) Mean (black), northern part (blue), southern part (red) Temperature and salinity of Atlantic Water
at 76 30’ N parallel
at 73 30’ N parallel Hovmoeller plot of temperature, salinity and heat content at section 76o 30’N Transformation of the Atlantic Water (T>0 oC, S>34.92) Temperature, salinity, heat content and section surface Summers 2000-2010 mean Temperature at 100 dbar, summers 2003-2010 McLane Moored Profiler (MMP)
Positions of MMP in 2009 (red star), 2010 and 2011 (green star) MMP results 2009-2010 October 2010-September 2011 MMP currents at 140 m.
October 2009-September 2011 SST and temperature at 140 m. K/V Svalbard Euro-Argo project, Poland as observer in the ERIC structure. 2 floats/year Summary
• 150 CTD and LADCP profiles in the deep ocean; • High resolution sections and vertical profiles in Spitsbergen fiords; • 3 shallow water moorings (upper looking ADCPs, CTD); • 1 MMP mooring in the core of the West Spitsbergen Current;
• No AW temperature trend in the southern part (for summers 2000-2011); • Negative AW temperature trend in the northern part; • Weak positive heat content trend in the northern part (due to AW volume increase); • In 2010 and 2011 salinity in the northern part increased, but temperature decreased. Local processes, winter cooling ? ; • In 2011 AW temperature of in the northern part decreased while in the southern increased. Indication of the 2012 rapid warming of WSC in the Fram Strait region ?