Preview

PDF 130087 - Season...pdf | Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

The location of the Antarctic Polar Front (PF) is mapped in the Southern Indian Ocean by decomposing the shape of temperature and salinity profiles into vertical modes using a functional Principal Component Analysis. We define the PF as the northernmost minimum of temperature at the subsurface and represent it as a linear combination of the first three modes. This method is applied on an ocean reanalysis data set and on in situ observations, revealing a seasonal variability of the PF latitudinal position that is most pronounced between the Conrad Rise and the Kerguelen Plateau. This shift coincides with variations in the transport across the Northern Kerguelen Plateau. We suggest that seasonal changes of the upper stratification may drive the observed variability of the PF, with potentially large implications for the pathways and residence time of water masses over the plateau and the phytoplankton bloom extending southeast of the Kerguelen Islands.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Pauthenet, E and Roquet, F and Madec, G and Guinet, C and Hindell, M and McMahon, CR and Harcourt, R and Nerini, D
Keywords:	Southern Ocean, ecosystems, tracking, Antarctic Polar Front, Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean fronts, functional principal component analysis
Journal or Publication Title:	Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher:	Amer Geophysical Union
ISSN:	0094-8276
DOI / ID Number:	10.1029/2018GL079614
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2018 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Related URLs:	Google Scholar: Hindell, M UTAS Profile: Hindell, M UTAS Profile: McMahon, CR
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

Actions (login required)

Item Control Page