The Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front: physical and biological coupling at South Georgia

The coupling of physics and biology was examined along a 160 km long transect running out from the north coast of South Georgia Island and crossing the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF) during late December 2000. Surface and near surface potential TS properties indicated the prese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Deep-sea research. Part I, Oceanographic research papers Oceanographic research papers, 2002-12, Vol.49 (12), p.2183-2202
Main Authors: Ward, Peter, Whitehouse, Mick, Meredith, Mike, Murphy, Eugene, Shreeve, Rachael, Korb, Rebecca, Watkins, Jon, Thorpe, Sally, Woodd-Walker, Rachel, Brierley, Andrew, Cunningham, Nathan, Grant, Sharon, Bone, Doug
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biophysics
Calanoides acutus
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Fronts
Krill
Marine
Physical and chemical properties of sea water
Physics of the oceans
Production
Rhincalanus gigas
SACCF
Southern ocean
Zooplankton
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Summary:The coupling of physics and biology was examined along a 160 km long transect running out from the north coast of South Georgia Island and crossing the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF) during late December 2000. Surface and near surface potential TS properties indicated the presence of three water types: a near-shore group of stations characterised by water which became progressively warmer and fresher closer to South Georgia, an offshore grouping in which sea surface temperatures and those at the winter water level were relatively warm (1.8°C and 0.5°C, respectively), and a third in which surface and winter water temperatures were cooler and reflected the presence of the SACCF. The transect bisected the SACCF twice, revealing that it was flowing in opposite directions, north-westward closest to South Georgia and south-eastwards at its furthest point from the island. The innermost limb was a narrow intense feature located just off the shelf break in 2000–3500 m of water and in which rapid surface baroclinic velocities (up to 35 cm s −1) were encountered. Offshore in the outermost limb, shown subsequently to be a mesoscale eddy that had meandered south from the retroflected limb of the SACCF, flow was broader and slower with peak velocities around 20 cm s −1. Chlorophyll a biomass was generally low (
ISSN:0967-0637
1879-0119
DOI:10.1016/S0967-0637(02)00119-X