A first description of the Adelaide Island Coastal Current on the western Antarctic Peninsula shelf

Moffat, C., R. Beardsley and B. Owens

Observations of currents and water properties (including drifter data, mooring records, and underway ADCP sections and CTD profiles from hydrographic surveys) reveal the presence of a large (~30-km wide, ~150-m deep) surface-intensified coastal current attached to the 100 km-long western coast of Adelaide Island, located on the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf. The Adelaide Island Coastal Current (AICC) flows south and into Marguerite Bay during the ice-free season and appears to shut down during winter, shortly after the onset of ice on the shelf. We explore the complicated bathymetry of the WAP region, year-round downwelling-favorable winds, and strong surface buoyancy forcing as factors determining the structure and temporal/spatial evolution of the AICC.

STATUS UPDATE:

Title, abstract, and author list received on 06/23/05.