Temperature and Salinity Staircases in the Northwestern Weddell Sea

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Abstract
Temperature and salinity data obtained from the northwestern Weddell Sea during March 1986 reveal numerous thermohaline staircases in the thermocline separating warm deep water from the overlying colder, lower salinity winter water. Staircases in the upper, steeper portion of the thermocline were characterized by layers having vertical extents of 1–5 m. Layer thicknesses in the deeper, weaker portion of the thermocline were far greater, sometimes exceeding 100 m. The former staircases are referred to as Type A, and the latter as Type B. Vertical gradients in temperature and salinity decreased abruptly across the boundary between Type A and Type B staircase regions. Mean density ratios Rρ were 1.52 and 1.36 over the depth intervals containing Type A and Type B staircases, respectively. Type A staircases were present at all sites sampled, whereas Type B staircases were present over approximately the central 50% of the area sampled. Laboratory-derived results show that the observed time and vertical... Abstract Temperature and salinity data obtained from the northwestern Weddell Sea during March 1986 reveal numerous thermohaline staircases in the thermocline separating warm deep water from the overlying colder, lower salinity winter water. Staircases in the upper, steeper portion of the thermocline were characterized by layers having vertical extents of 1–5 m. Layer thicknesses in the deeper, weaker portion of the thermocline were far greater, sometimes exceeding 100 m. The former staircases are referred to as Type A, and the latter as Type B. Vertical gradients in temperature and salinity decreased abruptly across the boundary between Type A and Type B staircase regions. Mean density ratios Rρ were 1.52 and 1.36 over the depth intervals containing Type A and Type B staircases, respectively. Type A staircases were present at all sites sampled, whereas Type B staircases were present over approximately the central 50% of the area sampled. Laboratory-derived results show that the observed time and vertical...

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