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Ocean Water Masses-Intermediate, Deep andBottom Waters
C. Chen
General Physical OceanographyMAR 555
School for Marine Sciences and TechnologyUmass-Dartmouth
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East Pacific Ocean East Atlantic Ocean
2
6
107
12
13
15
203040
1
2
3
4
5
10
2045
1
Surface or Upper Water(SW)
Central Water(CW) IntermediateWater(IW)
Deep or BottomWater(DW or BW)
SW
CW
CIW
IW
DW
CIW-California Intermediate Water: low salinity MIW-Mediterranean Intermediate Water: high salinity
MAR 555 Lecture 11: Ocean Water Masses-Intermediate, Deep and Bottom Waters
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Formation of Intermediate Waters
1. Form in subpolar region where precipitation exceeds evaporation,so it is characterized by low-temperature and low-salinity
2. Sinking of the relatively denser water at the surface in subpolarconvergence zone. Since the salinity of this water is relatively low,it only stays in the depth region below the central water and abovethe deep and bottom water
60o 40o 20o 0o 20o 40o 60o 80oN S
0
1
2
3
4
5
Dep
th (k
m)
Antarctic Intermediate Water
North
Deep
AtlanticWater
Antarctic Bo
ttom W
ater
Mediterranean
Water
35
34.8
34.6
Subpolar Frontal Zone
Subtropical Convergence Zone
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Intermediate Water Masses
Red Sea-Persian GulfIntermediate Water
Indonesia Intermediate Water
Antarctic Intermediate WaterAntarcticIntermediate Water
W. Atl.SubarcticInt. Water
Source
Med
iterra
nean
Wat
er
E. Atl. Subarctic Int.Water
Arctic Intl. Water
Antarctic Intermediate Water
California Intermediate Water
Pacific Subarctic Intermedia
te
Water
Source
Characteristics: low-salinity and low temperature
Depth range: 550-1500 m (California Int. Water ~ 200 m)
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Indonesian Intermediate Water(IIW)T: 3.5-5.5oCS: 34.6-34.7 PSU
Red Sea-Persian GulfIntermediate Water (RSPGIW)T: 5.0-14.0oCS: 34.8-35.4 PSU
Antarctic Intermediate Water(AAIW)T: 2.0-10.0oCS: 33.8-34.8 PSU
Pacific Subarctic IntermediateWater (PSIW)T: 5.0-12.0oCS: 33.8-34.3 PSU
California Intermediate Water(CIW)T: 10.0-12.0oCS: 33.9-34.4 PSU
Eastern South PacificIntermediate Water (ESPIW)T: 10.0-12.0oCS: 34.0-34.4 PSU
Antarctic Intermediate Water(CDW)T: 2.0-10oCS: 33.8-34.5 PSU
Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW)T: -1.5-3.0oCS: 34.7-34.9 PSU
East Atlantic SubarcticIntermediate Water (EASIW)T: 3.0-9.0oCS: 34.4-35.3 PSU
West Atlantic SubarcticIntermediate Water (WASIW)T: 3.0-9.0oCS: 34.0-35.1 PSU
Mediterranean Water (MW)T: 2.6-11.0oCS: 35.0-36.2 PSU
Antarctic Intermediate Water(AAIW):T: 2.0-6.0oCS: 33.8-34.8 PSU
Indian OceanPacific OceanAtlantic Ocean
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Download from the web source
The Distributions of Water Temperature and Salinity of the IntermediateWater in North Atlantic Ocean influenced by the Mediterranean output
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200
200
SpainGibraltar
Moroco0 10 km
6o00' 5o40' 5o20'
36o10'
35o50' Gibraltar St
rait
38.4
38.238.037.5
37.0
38.44
38.42
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Dep
th (m
)
5 km
13.0
12.95
12.9
13.0513.113.113.5
14.015.0
16.0
N S
S T
Gibraltar Strait
22
20
18
16
14
12
Pot
entia
l tem
pera
ture
(oC
)
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
Salinity 35 36 37 38 39
12.90
12.9513
13.05
13.05
13.05
13.05
14 1516
0
400
200
600
800
1000
Dep
th (m
)
10 20Distance (km)
30 40
38.44
38.4438.4438.4038.35
38.30
38.30
38.10
38.00 37.50
37.0
10 20Distance (km)
30 40
ST
W E
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Circumpolar Deep Water(CDW)T: 0.1-2.0oCS: 34.62-34.73 PSU
Antarctic Bottom Water(AABW)T: -0.9-1.7oCS: 34.64-34.72 PSU
Circumpolar Deep Water(CDW)T: 0.1-2.0oCS: 34.62-34.73 PSU
Antarctic Bottom Water(AABW)T: -0.9-1.7oCS: 34.64-34.72 PSU
North Atlantic Deep Water(NADW)T: -1.5-4.0oCS: 34.8-35.0 PSU
Antarctic Bottom Water(AABW)T: -0.9-1.7oCS: 34.64-34.72 PSU
Arctic Bottom WaterIntermediate Water (ABW)T: -1.8-(-10.5oC)S: 34.88-34.94 PSU
Indian OceanPacific OceanAtlantic Ocean
Deep and Bottom Waters
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North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)
Fram Strait
Warm andhigh salinity
Cool and sinkIn Norwegian and GreenlandSead
Low temperaturehigh salinity
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1. North Atlantic Current (8oC and 35.25)
Warm/
saline
Water accumulation (2.5oC and >35)
2000-3000 m
Gree
nland
Iceland Norw
ay
Formation of icecold, high salinity
Convergence
Convergence
Convergence
Cooling
North Atlantic Deep Water
The Norwegian SeaThe Greenland Sea
2. Ice formation in the Arctic Ocean
3. The Labrador Sea
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Greenland
Norw
ay
Iceland
FramStrait
NorwegianSea
GreenlandSea
NW Atlantic Deep Water
NE Atlantic Deep Water
Denm
akr S
trait
DWBC
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Cold High salinity water
Latent heat
Latent heat
2000 m
Winds from
Antarctic
continent
Newly formed ice pushed away from coast
Open Ocean Polynya Coastal Polynya
cold, dense water
Relatively
warm
water
Formation of the Antarctic Bottom Water
Polynya is a Russian word meaning an enclosed area of unfrozen watersurrounded by ice
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Schematic of the physical process in a coastal polynya
Side view
Top view
Front view
From Seelye Martin (2007)
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Open-ocean polynya mean circulation and mixing
From Seelye Martin (2007)
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From Seelye Martin (2007)
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Weddell Polyna during 1973-1976
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http://earth.esa.int/workshops/ers97/papers/drinkwater/
Reappearance of the Weddell Polynya in scatterometer image August 1994. The orangeline indicates the cruise track of the Nathaniel Palmer during the Anzflux experiment.
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http://arise-in-antarctica.blogspot.com/
A view of the Terra Nova Polynya in thewestern Ross Sea
Download from
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http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/seaice/Weddell.html
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AABWsources
AABWSources
NADW
NADW
NADW Source region
AABW
Global distribution of NADW and AABW