Classifying oceanographic structures in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

Lars Boehme*, Isabella Rosso

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The remote and often ice‐covered Amundsen Sea Embayment in Antarctica is important for transporting relatively warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW) to the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet, potentially accelerating its thinning and contribution to sea level rise. To investigate potential pathways and variability of mCDW, 3809 CTD profiles (instrumented seal and ship‐based data) are classified using a machine learning approach (Profile Classification Model). Five vertical regimes are identified, and areas of larger variability highlighted. Three spatial regimes are captured: Off‐Shelf, Eastern and Central Troughs. The on‐shelf profiles further show a separation between cold and warm modes. The variability is higher north of Burke Island and at the southern end of the Eastern Trough, which reflects the convergence of different mCDW pathways between the Eastern and the Central Trough. Finally, a clear but variable clockwise circulation is identified in Pine Island Bay.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2020GL089412
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume48
Issue number5
Early online date6 Feb 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Mar 2021

Keywords

  • Amundsen Sea
  • Pine Island glacier
  • Circumpolar deep water
  • Machine learning
  • Unsupervised clustering
  • Thwaites glacier

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