Distributions of mixed layer properties in North Pacific water mass formation areas: comparison of Argo floats and World Ocean Atlas 2001
- UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Frederick Morton Bingham, Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
- Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
Abstract: ABSTRACT. Winter mixed layer characteristics in the North
Pacific Ocean are examined and compared between Argo
floats in 2006 and the World Ocean Atlas 2001 (WOA01)
climatology for a series of named water masses, North Pacific
Tropical Water (NPTW), Eastern Subtropical Mode
Water (ESTMW), North Pacific Subtropical Mode Water
(NPSTMW), Light Central ModeWater (LCMW) and Dense
Central Mode Water (DCMW). The WOA01 is found to be
in good agreement with the Argo data in terms of water mass
volumes, average temperature-salinity (T-S) properties, and
outcrop areas. The exception to this conclusion is for the
central mode waters, DCMW and LCMW, whose outcropping
is shown to be much more intermittent than is apparent
in the WOA01 and whose T-S properties vary from what is
shown in theWOA01. Distributions of mixed layer T-S properties
measured by floats are examined within the outcropping
areas defined by the WOA01 and show some shifting
of T-S characteristics within the confines of the named water
masses. In 2006, all the water masses were warmer than climatology
on average, with a magnitude of about 0.5 degrees C. The
NPTW, NPSTMW and LCMW were saltier than climatology
and the ESTMW and DCMW fresher, with magnitudes
of about 0.05. In order to put these results into context, differences
between Argo and WOA01 were examined over the
North Pacific between 20 and 45 degrees N. A large-scale warming
and freshening is seen throughout this area, except for the
western North Pacific, where results were more mixed.
Distributions of mixed layer properties in North Pacific water mass formation areas: comparison of Argo floats and World Ocean Atlas 2001
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Bingham, F. M., & Suga, T. (2006). Distributions of mixed layer properties in North Pacific water mass formation areas: comparison of Argo floats and World Ocean Atlas 2001. Ocean Science, 2, 61–70. Retrieved from www.ocean-sci.net/2/61/2006/. [© Author(s) 2006. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.]
- Language: English
- Date: 2008
- Keywords
- Salinity--North Pacific Ocean, Water masses--North Pacific Ocean
- Subjects
- Salinity--North Pacific Ocean
- Water masses--North Pacific Ocean