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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Ocean Warming And Freshening In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, Thomas C. Royer, Chester E. Grosch Jan 2006

Ocean Warming And Freshening In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, Thomas C. Royer, Chester E. Grosch

CCPO Publications

Water column temperatures on the shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska have increased more than 0.8 degrees C and vertical density stratification has increased since 1970 near Seward, Alaska throughout the 250 m depth. This high latitude marine system has low water temperatures, high rates of precipitation, glacial melting, high wind speeds and high rates of biological productivity. A more than 300 km alongshore shift ( locally westward) of isotherms is suggested. The observations are consistent with a conceptual ocean-atmosphere circulation model that employs coastal freshwater discharge, glacial ablation and wind forcing. Positive regional feedback mechanisms accelerate the discharge …


Flow Induced By Upwelling Winds In An Equatorward Facing Bay: Gulf Of Arauco, Chile, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Larry P. Atkinson, Dante Figueroa, Leonardo Castro Jan 2003

Flow Induced By Upwelling Winds In An Equatorward Facing Bay: Gulf Of Arauco, Chile, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Larry P. Atkinson, Dante Figueroa, Leonardo Castro

CCPO Publications

[1] Shipborne observations of hydrographic and flow velocity profiles were combined with wind velocity measurements to describe the characteristics of the wind-induced flow in an equatorward facing bay of central Chile in South America. The measurements, which were taken from two transects and one anchor station, were made during late austral spring, between 4 and 10 December 2000. Most observations concentrated on Boca Grande, a transect that crossed the deep, northern ( equatorward) entrance to the bay. The other transect crossed the smaller and shallower, westward entrance to the bay, Boca Chica. The anchor station was located inside the bay, …


The Evolution Of Density-Driven Circulation Over Sloping Bottom Topography, G. H. Wheless, J. M. Klinck May 1995

The Evolution Of Density-Driven Circulation Over Sloping Bottom Topography, G. H. Wheless, J. M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

The short timescale temporal evolution of buoyancy-driven coastal flow over sloping bottom topography is examined using a two-dimensional, vertically averaged numerical model. Winter shelf circulation driven by a coastal ''point source'' buoyancy flux is modeled by initiating a coastal outflow with density anomaly epsilon into well-mixed shelf water. The nonlinear interaction between the time-varying velocity and density field is represented by an advection-diffusion equation. Three cases are discussed: that of a buoyant (epsilon < 0) outflow, a neutral (epsilon = 0) outflow, and a dense (epsilon > 0) outflow. Results are similar to observations from well-mixed shelf areas and show that density-topography interactions are capable of substantially influencing coastal circulation. A negative (buoyant) coastal …


Thermohaline Structure Of An Eddy-Resolving North Atlantic Model: The Influence Of Boundary Conditions, John M. Klinck Jan 1995

Thermohaline Structure Of An Eddy-Resolving North Atlantic Model: The Influence Of Boundary Conditions, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

A T-S volumetric census, with a resolution of 0.2 degrees C and 0.1 psu, for years 20-25 of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment Community Modeling Effort eddy-resolving simulation of the equatorial and North Atlantic Ocean, reveals how the thermohaline character of the model has changed from the initial conditions, which were taken from the Levitus climatology. Any changes in the thermohaline structure, other than stirring, mixing, or geostrophic adjustment of smoothed climatology, must be due to the boundary conditions, which are imposed at the surface and at four sponge layers (northern boundary, southern boundary, Labrador Sea and Mediterranean Sea), where …


Distribution Of Terrestrially Derived Dissolved Organic Matter On The Southeastern United States Continental Shelf, Mary Ann Moran, Lawrence R. Pomeroy, Edward S. Sheppard, Larry P. Atkinson, Robert E. Hodson Jan 1991

Distribution Of Terrestrially Derived Dissolved Organic Matter On The Southeastern United States Continental Shelf, Mary Ann Moran, Lawrence R. Pomeroy, Edward S. Sheppard, Larry P. Atkinson, Robert E. Hodson

CCPO Publications

Dissolved lignin-derived compounds in seawater indicate the presence of organic matter originating from vascular plants and therefore from terrestrial (upland and coastal marsh) ecosystems. We used a hydrophobic resin to concentrate lignin-rich humic substances and to determine concentrations of lignin oxidation products (vanillyl lignin phenols) for waters of the continental shelf of the southeastern U.S. Lignin phenol concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 4.2µg liter‒1 and accounted for 0.002–0.13% of the total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool in continental shelf waters. Dissolved lignin concentrations were generally highest near the shore and in those areas receiving greatest river and marsh …


Hydrographic Variability Of Southeastern United States Shelf And Slope Waters During The Genesis Of Atlantic Lows Experiment: Winter 1986, Larry P. Atkinson, Eiichi Oka, Sunny Y. Wu, Thomas J. Berger, Jackson O. Blanton, Thomas N. Lee Jan 1989

Hydrographic Variability Of Southeastern United States Shelf And Slope Waters During The Genesis Of Atlantic Lows Experiment: Winter 1986, Larry P. Atkinson, Eiichi Oka, Sunny Y. Wu, Thomas J. Berger, Jackson O. Blanton, Thomas N. Lee

CCPO Publications

Continental shelf waters are particularly responsive to winter storm events mainly because of their shallow depths. Those of the southeastern United States (the South Atlantic Bight (SAB)) are especially responsive because they are broad and shallow. Also, the Gulf Stream serves as a continual source of warm water at the outer boundary. Thus the SAB receives strong meteorological (wind stress and heat loss) and oceanographic (advective) forcing. During the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment (GALE) the response of shelf waters to winter storm events and Gulf Stream forcing was observed. The mean conditions showed a mixed water column with areas …


Transport And Fate Of River Discharge On The Continental Shelf Of The Southeastern United States, J. O. Blanton, L. P. Atkinson Jan 1983

Transport And Fate Of River Discharge On The Continental Shelf Of The Southeastern United States, J. O. Blanton, L. P. Atkinson

CCPO Publications

We have analyzed 8 years of wind and salinity data from a frontal zone in a region of the inner continental shelf off the southeastern United States. The changes in low‐salinity water stored in the frontal zone have been parameterized by analyzing the monthly rate of change in freshwater content. When the rate of change in freshwater content was negative, we interpreted this as a loss of low‐salinity water from the frontal zone. When this parameter was compared with seasonally averaged alongshore wind stress, the rate of loss was independent of the alongshore wind stress magnitude until threshold of about …