FN Archimer Export Format
PT J
TI Summertime modification of surface fronts in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre
BT 
AF DESPRES, Agnes
   REVERDIN, Gilles
   D'OVIDIO, Francesco
AS 1:1;2:1;3:1;
FF 1:;2:;3:;
C1 Univ Paris 06, LOCEAN, Inst Pierre Simon Laplace, F-75005 Paris, France.
C2 IPSL, FRANCE
SI AUTRE
SE AUTRE
IF 3.021
TC 5
TU Centre national de la recherche scientifique
   Institut de recherche pour le développement
   Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
   Université Pierre et Marie Curie
UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00200/31098/29513.pdf
LA English
DT Article
CR OVIDE 1
   OVIDE 2
BO Thalassa
AB A 12-yearlong thermosalinograph data set from ships of opportunity was used to make an extensive study of meso-scale surface fronts in the western part of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre from 1997 to 2009. Fronts are identified on a sea-surface-salinity/sea surface temperature gradient criterion with a typical width of 20 to 60 km. The seasonal hydrographic properties of fronts are investigated. We find that, whereas salinity jumps across fronts are close to the larger scale variations, the temperature jumps across fronts are often smaller than the larger scale variations, in particular in summer-time. We also find in June vertical profiles that the relative weight of temperature over salinity in the density jump across fronts is smaller at the surface than at depth. A Lagrangian model based on altimetry data and in situ vertical hydrographic profiles indicates that surface stirring is able to create fronts, but not the contrast between temperature and salinity gradients. We suggest that air-sea fluxes, mostly heat fluxes, but possibly also differential vertical stirring, are responsible for damping the meso-scale horizontal surface temperature gradient. This is supported by an eddy-permitting numerical simulation of this region (DRAKKAR simulation ORCA-025-G70) which includes some heat flux feedbacks.
PY 2011
PD OCT
SO Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans
SN 0148-0227
PU Amer Geophysical Union
VL 116
IS C10003
UT 000295825900002
BP 1
EP 13
DI 10.1029/2011JC006950
ID 31098
ER

EF