A hotspot and mechanism of enhanced bottom intrusion on the southern New England shelf

Understanding the occurrence of the intrusion of open ocean water onto continental shelves has scientific significance and societal relevance as the intrusion can significantly disrupt the marine ecosystem and fisheries. High-resolution numerical modeling is used to investigate the spatiotemporal oc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Research Communications 2024-07, Vol.6 (7), p.71008
Main Author: Chen, Ke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bathymetry
bottom intrusions
Continental shelves
cross-shelf exchange
Environment models
Environmental factors
Environmental management
Fisheries
Fisheries management
Hot spots (geology)
hotspots
Intrusion
Marine ecosystems
Marine environment
Marine fish
Numerical models
Ocean models
Prediction models
pressure gradient setup
Seawater
subsurface compound anomaly
Topography
Upwelling
Wind
Wind stress
wind-driven upwelling
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Summary:Understanding the occurrence of the intrusion of open ocean water onto continental shelves has scientific significance and societal relevance as the intrusion can significantly disrupt the marine ecosystem and fisheries. High-resolution numerical modeling is used to investigate the spatiotemporal occurrence and mechanisms of highly anomalous bottom intrusions on the southern New England shelf. Based on multi-year numerical simulations, this study reveals a hotspot of cross-isobath bottom-intensified intrusions at a topographic trough. Examination of multiple events portrays a robust mechanism of locally enhanced bottom intrusions. Persistent upwelling-favorable winds set up an enhanced pressure gradient field at the topographic trough and drive the intrusion a large-distance onshore. Numerical experiments with and without the topographic trough show that the localized pressure gradient results from a combination of the shelf orientation and local bathymetry. Although highly anomalous waters on the shelf relate to wind forcing, correlations between the wind stress anomaly and bottom salinity anomaly at the location of the enhanced intrusion is modest, implying the need to incorporate other environmental factors to develop more deterministic prediction models for subsurface conditions on the shelf. The results have important implications for marine environment and fisheries management.
ISSN:2515-7620
2515-7620
DOI:10.1088/2515-7620/ad61c7