A novel hydrographic gridded data set for the Northern Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

Abstract. The Northern Antarctic Peninsula (NAP) is a highly dynamic transitional zone between the subpolar-polar and oceanic-coastal environments, and it is located in an area affected by intense climate change, including intensification and spatial shifts of the westerlies as well as atmospheric and oceanic warming. In the NAP area, the water masses originate mainly from the Bellingshausen and Weddell Seas, which create a marked regional dichotomic thermohaline characteristic. Although the NAP area has relatively easy access when compared to other Southern Ocean environments, our understanding of the water masses distribution and the dynamical processes affecting the variability of the region is still limited. That limitation is closely linked to the sparse data coverage, as commonly is the case in most of the Southern Ocean environments. This work provides a novel three-dimensional high-resolution hydrographic gridded data set for the NAP, namely the GOAL gridded product. Hydrographic measurements from 2003–2019 have been optimally interpolated to produce maps of conservative temperature, absolute salinity, neutral density and dissolved oxygen at ~10 km spatial resolution and 114 depth levels. The water masses and oceanographic features in this regional gridded product are more accurate than other climatologies and state estimate products currently available. The data sets are available in netCDF format at https://www.goal.furg.br/producao-cientifica/supplements/203-goal-gridded-nap and at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3989548 (Dotto et al., 2020). The novel GOAL gridded product and comprehensive data sets presented here are a valuable tool to be used in studies addressing climatological changes in the unique NAP region since they provide accurate initial conditions for ocean models and improve the early 21st-century ocean mean-summer-state representation for that area.

Variability and Dynamics of Along‐Shore Exchange on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) Continental Shelf

“…The water exchange of mCDW and CDW in Boyd Strait suggests that around 44% of the warm water found near the South Shetland Islands is contributed from mCDW in the cWAP. This is notable because, while several previous studies have characterized this warm subsurface current (e.g., Barlett et al., 2018; Dotto et al., 2021; Hofmann et al., 1996; Sangrà et al., 2017, 2011; Zhou et al., 2006), how much the mCDW from the northern cWAP contributes to its formation was not known.…”

Biological–physical processes regulate autumn prey availability of spiny icefish Chaenodraco wilsoni in the Bransfield Strait, Antarctic

“…To characterize the complex hydrographic dynamics in BS, the authors analysed the hydrographic characteristics of sections across the above study areas using data from the Brazilian High Latitude Oceanography Group (Dotto et al ., 2021). The organization conducted six major projects to collect hydrographic signature data in the Northern AP region from 2003 to 2019, with the collection process taking place only during the austral summer.…”

“…The organization conducted six major projects to collect hydrographic signature data in the Northern AP region from 2003 to 2019, with the collection process taking place only during the austral summer. The authors sampled conservative temperature, absolute salinity and dissolved oxygen data from interpolated hydrographic measurements (spatial resolution = 10 km) from 2003 to 2019 (Dotto et al ., 2021).…”

Glacial meltwater input to the ocean around the Antarctic Peninsula: forcings and consequences

“…In general, the SO has presented a small but significant increase in sea-ice cover associated by near-surface cooling (Armour et al 2016). The ocean surrounding AP has presented significant freshening and lightening trends, with impacts on the water volume (Azaneu et al 2013, Hellmer et al 2011, Schmidtko et al 2014, Ruiz Barlett et al 2018, Dotto et al 2021. Freshwater input into the ocean from the continent influences SSH, affects the formation of water masses and, consequently, global circulation.…”

“…However, a strong upwelling eventually brings deeper warmer water to the surface, boosting sea-ice melting and retreating (Purich et al 2016). The winds intensification can increase the inflow of warmer waters into the WAP continental shelf but not necessarily cause the increase of ice shelf basal melting (except for the shallower ice-shelves) (Dotto et al 2021). SAM can also interfere over wind-driven Weddell Sea Gyre on the eastern AP, influencing inter-annual variations in bottomwater properties (Dickens et al 2019).…”