Compensating transport trends in the Drake Passage frontal regions yield no acceleration in net transport.

ABSTRACT: Although the westerly winds that drive the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) have increased over the past several decades, the ACC response remains an open question. Here we use a 15-year time series of concurrent upper-ocean temperature, salinity, and ocean velocity with high spatial resolution across Drake Passage to analyze whether the net Drake Passage transport has accelerated in the last 15 years. We find that, although the net Drake Passage transport relative to 760 m shows insignificant acceleration, the net transport trend comprises compensating trends across the ACC frontal regions. Our results show an increase in the mesoscale eddy activity between the fronts consistent with buoyancy changes in the fronts and with an eddy saturation state. Furthermore, the increased eddy activ

SUBMITTER: Gutierrez-Villanueva MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10684652 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature