Study on subtidal circulation and variability in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Scotian Shelf, and Gulf of Maine using a nested-grid shelf circulation model

Urrego-Blanco, J. R.; Jiang, Sheng

doi:10.1007/s10236-013-0688-z

Cited by 19 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The calculated values are generally consistent with previous estimates of summer SST trends for that area (Galbraith et al 2012). SST in the Gulf has been shown to be highly correlated to air temperatures and atmospheric forcing (Galbraith et al 2012;Urrego-Blanco and Sheng 2014). The trend in the St. Lawrence estuary might be due to a combination of both direct air temperature effect and an increase of the cold intermediate layer temperature that is upwelled at the head of the estuary (Galbraith et al 2014).…”

Section: Areasupporting

confidence: 81%

“…The Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Scotian Shelf, the Newfoundland Shelf, the Grand Banks and the Great Lakes all experience a large yearly SST excursion. The relatively shallow (19 m) Lake Erie experiences the largest seasonal heating of the 5 Great Lakes with a range of more than 25 • C. For the Canadian marine coastal waters, the highest mean yearly SST amplitudes are located in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and adjacent Scotian Shelf, confirming model results (Geshelin et al 1999) and the coherence of SST over these areas (Urrego-Blanco and Sheng 2014). The effect of tidal mixing is clearly visible at the southern tip of Nova Scotia, in the Bay of Fundy, and in the St. Lawrence estuary where SST does not increase much during the summer season.…”

Section: Sst Extremes and Amplitudesupporting

confidence: 78%

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Canadian Coastal Seas and Great Lakes Sea Surface Temperature Climatology and Recent Trends

Larouche

Galbraith

2016

Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing

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28 years of satellite data were used to calculate sea surface temperature (SST) climatologies covering Canada's 3 surrounding oceans and the Great Lakes. Results show the imprint of major circulation features on the spatial distribution of the SST. Together with the Gulf Stream, the Labrador Current generates a strong spatial variability of SST on the east coast. Most of the Canadian Arctic, with the exception of Hudson Bay and the coastal Beaufort Sea region, is characterized by very small seasonal SST amplitude. Lake Erie is the water body having the largest seasonal SST amplitude, but for the oceanic regions, it is the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the adjacent Scotian Shelf. A trend analysis showed that many regions are undergoing rapid warming of the sea surface. However, warming is not spatially uniform. The strongest warming was detected in Baffin Bay and appears to result from the decreasing ice cover. Lake Superior is also showing a strong warming trend. These results have important implications for fisheries management because SST affects many species. Regions with small yearly amplitudes and warming trends might act as future cool water oases for some species. Résumé. 28 années de données satellitaires ontété utilisées afin de calculer des climatologies des températures de surface de la mer «sea surface temperature» (SST) pour les 3 océans entourant le Canada ainsi que pour les Grands Lacs. Les résultats montrent l'empreinte des principaux courants océaniques sur la distribution spatiale des SST. Avec le Gulf Stream, le courant duLabrador génère une forte variabilité spatiale des SST sur la côte est. La plupart de l'arctique canadien, avec l'exception de la Baie d'Hudson et la zone côtière de la mer de Beaufort, est caractérisé par une très faible amplitude annuelle des SST. Le lacÉrié est la masse d'eau montrant la plus grande amplitude saisonnière, mais pour les régions océaniques, ce sont le sud du Golfe du Saint-Laurent et le plateau Néo-Écossais adjacent. Une analyse de tendances a montré que plusieurs régions sont soumisesà un accroissement rapide des températures de surface. Toutefois, le réchauffement n'est pas spatialement uniforme. Le plus fort réchauffement aété détecté dans la baie de Baffin et semble reliéà la décroissance de la couverture de glace. Le lac Supérieur montre aussi une forte tendance au réchauffement. Ces résultats ont d'importantes implications pour la gestion des pêches puisque la SST affecte plusieurs espèces. Les régions ayant une faible amplitude annuelle et un faible taux de réchauffement pourraient agir dans le futur comme des oasis froides pour certaines espèces.

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Section: Areasupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Sst Extremes and Amplitudesupporting

confidence: 78%

Canadian Coastal Seas and Great Lakes Sea Surface Temperature Climatology and Recent Trends

Larouche

Galbraith

2016

Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing

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“…The assessment of the model performance is limited only to the surface fields produced by the model. The reader is referred to Urrego‐Blanco and Sheng [] for more discussion on the validation of simulated circulation and hydrography at different depths produced by the ocean circulation component.…”

Section: Model Performance In Simulating Circulation and Ice Conditiosupporting

confidence: 77%

“…[]. The coupled model is also forced by freshwater discharge from the 14 largest rivers in the study region as described by Urrego‐Blanco and Sheng [].…”

Section: Model Setup and Forcingmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Formation and distribution of sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: A process‐oriented study using a coupled ocean‐ice model

Urrego-Blanco

Jiang

2014

JGR Oceans

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A coupled ocean-ice model for the eastern Canadian shelf is used to examine main physical processes affecting sea ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) and adjacent waters. The coupled model is based on NEMO and uses OPA9 as the ocean circulation component and LIM2 as the ice model. The coupled model is forced by atmospheric reanalysis fields produced by Large and Yeager (2004). The model results are used to examine the roles of thermodynamics and dynamics on sea ice distributions and patterns of ice production and melting, and the influence of ice capping on the circulation in the study region. Analysis of model results indicates that local production of sea ice is important in shallower areas over the northern and western GSL. Equatorward advection of sea ice from the St. Lawrence Estuary is affected significantly by the Gaspe Current. An index is used to quantify the relative importance of thermodynamic and dynamics of sea ice in the GSL. It is found that both thermodynamics and dynamics are important over most of the GSL, except for waters around Anticosti Island, in the southeastern Gulf, and over the eastern Scotian Shelf, where dynamics (or sea ice movements) are the most important mechanism for the presence of sea ice. The study also demonstrates that ice capping significantly reduces the strength of the winter circulation in the GSL.

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Gulf of Maine salinity variation and its correlation with upstream Scotian Shelf currents at seasonal and interannual time scales

Feng

Vandemark

Wilkin

2016

J. Geophys. Res. Oceans

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In the Gulf of Maine (GoM), a network of buoy hydrography measurements collected since 2001 provide a subsurface salinity time series showing a strong seasonal cycle and interannual variations that are both consistent with remote forcing of Gulf hydrography by upstream advection. These long‐term mooring data are combined with satellite altimeter estimates of upper ocean current anomaly on the adjoining Scotian Shelf (SS) in a new attempt to use disparate regional observations as proxies to detect and evaluate remote forcing of water mass change inside the Gulf from 2002 to 2015. Focusing on buoys moored along the Maine coastal current (MCC), lagged cross correlations with upstream altimeter‐derived SS current anomalies are found to be as high as 0.84 and explain 50–70% of variance in the MCC subsurface salinity data at both seasonal and interannual time scales. Significant MCC freshening in 2004–2005 and 2010–2011 follow SS velocity strengthening, while salting events in 2002–2004 and 2012–2015 are associated with relaxation of SS currents. Estimated time lags translate to advective SS inflow velocity estimates of 6 ± 2 cm/s that are consistent with past modeling and observational work. Investigation of wind stress control on SS velocity anomalies indicates that wind directions away from the along‐shore can factor into flow modulation. Overall, the study findings are consistent with past freshwater flux observations and modeling examining southwest SS inflow to the GoM, provide a new empirical means to diagnose GoM hydrographic change, and point to one potential application of an altimeter measurement record that extends from 1992 into the future.

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Study on subtidal circulation and variability in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Scotian Shelf, and Gulf of Maine using a nested-grid shelf circulation model

Cited by 19 publications

References 27 publications

Canadian Coastal Seas and Great Lakes Sea Surface Temperature Climatology and Recent Trends

Canadian Coastal Seas and Great Lakes Sea Surface Temperature Climatology and Recent Trends

Formation and distribution of sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: A process‐oriented study using a coupled ocean‐ice model

Gulf of Maine salinity variation and its correlation with upstream Scotian Shelf currents at seasonal and interannual time scales

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