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Science 1 October 1993:
Vol. 262. no. 5130, pp. 95 - 97
DOI: 10.1126/science.262.5130.95
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Articles

Deep and Bottom Water of the Weddell Sea's Western Rim

Arnold L. Gordon 1, Bruce A. Huber 1, Hartmut H. Hellmer 1, and Amy Ffield 1

1 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY 10964

Oceanographic observations from the Ice Station Weddell 1 show that the western rim of the Weddell Gyre contributes to Weddell Sea Bottom Water. A thin (< 300 meters), highly oxygenated benthic layer is composed of a low-salinity type of bottom water overlying a high-salinity component. This complex layering disappears near 66°S because of vertical mixing and further inflow from the continental margin. The bottom water flowing out of the western rim is a blend of the two types. Additionally, the data show that a narrow band of warmer Weddell Deep Water hugged the continental margin as it flowed into the western rim, providing the continental margin with the salt required for bottom-water production.

Submitted on April 28, 1993
Accepted on July 15, 1993


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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E. Hanna (1996)
Progress in Physical Geography 20, 371-401
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)