Southwest Pacific subtropical mode water: A climatology

Holbrook, Neil J.; Maharaj, Angela M.

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2007.01.015

Cited by 23 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This change is consistent with decadal changes in wind stress that are believed to have caused the East Australian Current to extend farther southward [24]. Finally, this transect has also contributed to understanding the formation, spreading, characteristics and variability of South Pacific Subtropical Mode Water [63], [64] and [65].…”

Section: High Density Transectssupporting

confidence: 75%

The Ship of Opportunity Program

Goñi¹

2010

Proceedings of OceanObs'09: Sustained Ocean Observations and Information for Society

102

124

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The Ship Of Opportunity Program (SOOP) is an international World Meteorological Organization (WMO)-IntergovernmentalOceanographic Commission (IOC) program that addresses both scientific and operational goals to contribute to building a sustained ocean observing system. The SOOP main mission is the collection of upper ocean temperature profiles using eXpendable BathyThermographs (XBTs), mostly from volunteer vessels. The XBT deployments are designated by their spatial and temporal sampling goals or modes of deployment (Low Density, Frequently Repeated, and High Density) and sample along well-observed transects, on either large or small spatial scales, or at special locations such as boundary currents and chokepoints, all of which are complementary to the Argo global broad scale array. A multi-national review of the global upper ocean thermal networks carried out in 1999 [1] and presented at the OceanObs'99 conference recommended evolving from broad-scale XBT sampling to increased spatial and temporal transect-based sampling anticipating the implementation of the Argo float network and continued satellite altimetry observations. The objective of the present manuscript is to review the present status of networks against the objectives set during OceanObs'99, to present key scientific contributions of XBT observations, and to offer new perspectives for the future of the XBT network. The commercial shipping industry has changed in the past decade, toward fewer routes and more frequent changes of ships and routing impacting the temporal continuity of some XBT transects. In spite of these changes, many routes now have, in addition to XBT sampling, measurements from ThermoSalinoGraphs (TSGs), eXpendable Conductivity Temperature and Depth (XCTD), partial pressure of CO 2 , Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), Continuous Plankton Recorders (CPR), marine meteorology, fluorescence, and radiometer sensors. In addition, recent studies of the XBT fall rate are being evaluated

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Section: High Density Transectssupporting

confidence: 75%

The Ship of Opportunity Program

Goñi¹

2010

Proceedings of OceanObs'09: Sustained Ocean Observations and Information for Society

102

124

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“…While previous research has demonstrated that the time signature of El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability is evident in Tasman Sea temperatures, nutrients and biota20363738394041, and sea level as decadal ENSO variations42, the signals are relatively weak4344 with ENSO SST variations likely to be due mostly to regional air–sea interaction434546. Dynamically, the main ocean waveguide for ENSO sea-level variations is via the Indonesian Archipelago and poleward along the west coast of continental Australia4748, rather than Australia’s east coast.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The unprecedented 2015/16 Tasman Sea marine heatwave

et al. 2017

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The Tasman Sea off southeast Australia exhibited its longest and most intense marine heatwave ever recorded in 2015/16. Here we report on several inter-related aspects of this event: observed characteristics, physical drivers, ecological impacts and the role of climate change. This marine heatwave lasted for 251 days reaching a maximum intensity of 2.9 °C above climatology. The anomalous warming is dominated by anomalous convergence of heat linked to the southward flowing East Australian Current. Ecosystem impacts range from new disease outbreaks in farmed shellfish, mortality of wild molluscs and out-of-range species observations. Global climate models indicate it is very likely to be that the occurrence of an extreme warming event of this duration or intensity in this region is respectively ≥330 times and ≥6.8 times as likely to be due to the influence of anthropogenic climate change. Climate projections indicate that event likelihoods will increase in the future, due to increasing anthropogenic influences.

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“…2). Solomon Sea waters display a salt minimum in the intermediate layer, characteristic of the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW; Sokolov and Rintoul 2000), and a salt maximum in the upper part of the thermocline, characteristic of the Subtropical Mode Water (STMW; Sokolov and Rintoul 2000;Holbrook and Maharaj 2008) formed in the center of the southeast Pacific subtropical gyre and transported westward by the South Equatorial Current (SEC). The TIDE mean modeled water masses are in agreement with the observations, although they are warmer and saltier than those observed above s 0 5 25.5 kg m 23 , whereas they are colder and fresher below.…”

Section: Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equatorward Pathways of Solomon Sea Water Masses and Their Modifications

Melet

Verron

Gourdeau

et al. 2011

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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International audienceThe Solomon Sea is a key region of the southwest Pacific Ocean, connecting the thermocline subtropics to the equator via western boundary currents (WBCs). Modifications to water masses are thought to occur in this region because of the significant mixing induced by internal tides, eddies, and the WBCs. Despite their potential influence on the equatorial Pacific thermocline temperature and salinity and their related impact on the low-frequency modulation of El Niño-Southern Oscillation, modifications to water masses in the Solomon Sea have never been analyzed to our knowledge. A high-resolution model incorporating a tidal mixing parameterization was implemented to depict and analyze water mass modifications and the Solomon Sea pathways to the equator in a Lagrangian quantitative framework. The main routes from the Solomon Sea to the equatorial Pacific occur through the Vitiaz and Solomon straits, in the thermocline and intermediate layers, and mainly originate from the Solomon Sea south inflow and from the Solomon Strait itself. Water mass modifications in the model are characterized by a reduction of the vertical temperature and salinity gradients over the water column: the high salinity of upper thermocline water [Subtropical Mode Water (STMW)] is eroded and exported toward surface and deeper layers, whereas a downward heat transfer occurs over the water column. Consequently, the thermocline water temperature is cooled by 0.15°-0.3°C from the Solomon Sea inflows to the equatorward outflows. This temperature modification could weaken the STMW anomalies advected by the subtropical cell and thereby diminish the potential influence of these anomalies on the tropical climate. The Solomon Sea water mass modifications can be partially explained (≈60%) by strong diapycnal mixing in the Solomon Sea. As for STMW, about a third of this mixing is due to tidal mixing

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Southwest Pacific subtropical mode water: A climatology

Cited by 23 publications

References 42 publications

The Ship of Opportunity Program

The Ship of Opportunity Program

The unprecedented 2015/16 Tasman Sea marine heatwave

Equatorward Pathways of Solomon Sea Water Masses and Their Modifications

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