Vertical mixing over the western Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf during the winter 2002 SO GLOBEC survey cruise

Robin D. Muench, Laurie Padman, and Susan Howard

Earth & Space Research

Seattle, WA

Manuscript proposed for 2^nd SO GLOBEC Special Issue, DSR2

Observations obtained from the western Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf adjacent to Marguerite Bay during the winter 2002 SO GLOBEC survey cruise aboard the N.B. Palmer will be used to assess vertical ocean mixing in this seasonally ice-covered, continental shelf region. The observations consist of high quality vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and density from a conductivity/temperature/depth profiler (CTD), vertical current profiles obtained with a vessel-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler, and profiles of scalar microstructure obtained using a CTD-mounted microstructure profiling system (CMiPS). Vertical mixing is estimated using Thorpe reordering applied to finescale CTD density data and Osborn-Cox methods applied to CMiPS thermal microstructure. Results will be compared with a variety of Richardson number-based parameterizations used in numerical models. The study will focus on mixing associated with intrusions of warm, nutrient-rich Antarctic Circumpolar Current water onto the shelf, and will also consider upward heat flux through the main pycnocline into the lower portions of the surface mixed layer.

STATUS UPDATE:
Title and abstract received on 06/02/05.