Martins Renato P.

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Martins
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Renato P.
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  • Article
    Pathways and mechanisms of offshore water intrusions on the Espírito Santo Basin shelf (18°S–22°S, Brazil)
    (John Wiley & Sons, 2016-07-30) Palóczy, Andre ; Brink, Kenneth H. ; da Silveira, Ilson C. A. ; Arruda, Wilton Z. ; Martins, Renato P.
    The pathways and physical mechanisms associated with intrusions of cold, nutrient-rich South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) on the continental shelf of the Espírito Santo Basin (ESB), off southeast Brazil (18°S–22°S), are investigated. To this end, a set of process-oriented, Primitive-Equation (PE) numerical models are used, together with an independent and more complete PE model, available observations and simple theoretical ideas. SACW enters the model ESB shelf mostly through two preferential pathways along the Tubarão Bight (TB, 19.5°S–22°S). These pathways are found to be locations where an equatorward along-isobath pressure gradient force (PGFy*) of inline image m s−2) develops in response to steady wind forcing. This equatorward PGFy* is essentially in geostrophic balance, inducing onshore flow across the shelf edge, and most of the shelf proper. The Brazil Current (BC) imparts an additional periodic (in the along-shelf direction) PGFy* on the shelf. The intrinsic pycnocline uplifting effect of the BC in making colder water available at the shelf edge is quantified. The BC also induces local intrusions by inertially overshooting the shelf edge, consistent with estimated Rossby numbers of inline image0.3–0.5. In addition, the planetary β-effect is related to a background equatorward PGFy*. A modified Arrested Topographic Wave model is shown to be a plausible rationalization for the shelf-wide spreading of the pressure field imparted by the BC at the shelf edge. The deep-ocean processes examined here are found to enhance the onshore transport of SACW, while wind forcing is found to dominate it at leading order.
  • Article
    On the steadiness and instability of the Intermediate Western Boundary Current between 24 degrees and 18 degrees S
    (American Meteorological Society, 2019-12-06) Napolitano, Dante C. ; da Silveira, Ilson C. A. ; Rocha, Cesar B. ; Flierl, Glenn R. ; Calil, Paulo H. R. ; Martins, Renato P.
    The Intermediate Western Boundary Current (IWBC) transports Antarctic Intermediate Water across the Vitória–Trindade Ridge (VTR), a seamount chain at ~20°S off Brazil. Recent studies suggest that the IWBC develops a strong cyclonic recirculation in Tubarão Bight, upstream of the VTR, with weak time dependency. We herein use new quasi-synoptic observations, data from the Argo array, and a regional numerical model to describe the structure and variability of the IWBC and to investigate its dynamics. Both shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data and trajectories of Argo floats confirm the existence of the IWBC recirculation, which is also captured by our Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) simulation. An “intermediate-layer” quasigeostrophic (QG) model indicates that the ROMS time-mean flow is a good proxy for the IWBC steady state, as revealed by largely parallel isolines of streamfunction ψ⎯ and potential vorticity Q⎯; a ψ⎯−Q⎯ scatter diagram also shows that the IWBC is potentially unstable. Further analysis of the ROMS simulation reveals that remotely generated, westward-propagating nonlinear eddies are the main source of variability in the region. These eddies enter the domain through the Tubarão Bight eastern edge and strongly interact with the IWBC. As they are advected downstream and negotiate the local topography, the eddies grow explosively through horizontal shear production.