On the extent and frontal structure of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current /
| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1993.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to ProQuest copy Link to OAKTrust copy ProQuest, Abstract |
| Abstract: | Large-scale features of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) are described using all historical hydrographic data available from the Southern Ocean. A dynamic topography map of the upper kilometer reveals the highly-sheared eastward flow of the ACC. Strong steering of the current's path is caused by the bottom ridges around Antarctica. The near surface tracer distributions differentiate the ACC from the warmer and saltier waters of the subtropical regimes. The Subtropical Front, interrupted only by South America, marks the northern limit of the ACC. Distributions of properties on isopycnal surfaces show an abrupt end to the southward shoaling of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW), as it is entrained into the mixed layer. This sharp water mass boundary nearly coincides with the southernmost circumpolar streamline passing through Drake Passage. To its south are the weakly-sheared circulations of the subpolar regime. Inspection of many crossings of this transition lead to a definition for the southern boundary of the ACC as the poleward edge of UCDW. About 100 Sv (1 Sv = 10$ sp6$ m$ sp3$ s$ sp{-1}$) flow eastward between the meridional limits of the ACC. At Drake Passage, three deep-reaching fronts account for most of the ACC transport. The third deep-reaching front observed to the south of the Polar Front at Drake Passage continues with similar characteristics as a circumpolar feature. It is called here the southern ACC front. |
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| Item Description: | "Major subject: Oceanography." Vita. |
| Physical Description: | xii, 75 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |