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Upper layer thermal structure in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean

Die thermische Struktur der oberen Wasserschichten im Atlantischen Sektor des Südlichen Ozeans

Structure thermique des couches supérieures de la mer dans le secteur Atlantique de l'Océan Austral

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Summary

By means of 7 XBT* sections between South America resp. South Africa and Antarctica the variability of the Subtropical Convergence (STC), the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ) and the Weddell-Scotia Confluence (WSC) are particularly discussed. Between 45°W and 56°W, the STC is shifted to the South by 2.3 degrees of latitude confining a tongue of subtropical surface water near the continental slope of the Patagonian shelf. Further South, the PFZ is displaced to the North by 7 degrees of latitude between 58°W and 39°W. An intense Subantarctic Front has been observed northwestwards of South Georgia. Even East of the South Sandwich Islands the WSC can be detected by a positive temperature anomaly.

Zusammenfassung

Die Variabilität der Subtropischen Konvergenz (STC), der Polarfrontzone (PFZ) und der Weddell-Scotia-Konfluenz (WSC) wird diskutiert auf der Basis von 7 XBT*-Schnitten zwischen Südamerika bzw. Südafrika und dem antarktischen Kontinent. Die STC ist zwischen 45°W und 56°W um 2,3 Breitenparallele nach Süden verschoben; die Ursache ist eine Zunge subtropischen Oberflächenwassers nahe am Kontinentalabhang des Patagonischen Schelfs. Weiter südlich, zwischen 58°W und 39°W, ist die PFZ um etwa 7 Breitenparallele nach Norden verlagert. Eine gut ausgeprägte Subantarktische Front wird nordwestlich von Südgeorgien beobachtet. Noch östlich der Süd-Sandwich-Inseln kann die WSC durch eine positive Temperaturanomalie erkannt werden.

Résumé

Le caractère variable de la convergence subtropicale, de la zone du front polaire et de la confluence de Weddell-Scotia fait l'objet de discussions sur la base de 7 coupes XBT* entre l'Amérique du Sud respectivement l'Afrique du Sud et le Continent Antarctique. La convergence subtropicale est décalée vers le Sud de 2,3° de latitude entre le 45°W et le 56°W; ceci est dû à la présence d'une langue d'eau subtropicale à la surface près de la pente continentale du plateau de Patagonie. Plus au Sud, entre le 58°W et le 39°W, la zone du front polaire est déplacée de 7° environ vers le Nord. On observe au Nord-Ouest de la Géorgie du Sud un front subantarctique nettement marqué. La confluence de Weddell-Scotia peut même être détectée à l'Est des Iles Sandwich Australes par une anomalie positive de température.

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Author notes

  1. Manfred Bersch &  Gerd Axel Becker

    Present address: Deutsches Hydrographisches Institut, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78, 2000, Hamburg 4

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    1. Manfred Bersch
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    2. Gerd Axel Becker
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    Bersch, M., Becker, G.A. Upper layer thermal structure in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 37, 71–86 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226536

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