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    Seasonal variability in the intermediate water of the eastern North Atlantic

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    Bray_thesis.pdf (4.567Mb)
    Date
    1980-08
    Author
    Bray, Nancy Amanda  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2207
    Location
    North Atlantic Ocean
    DOI
    10.1575/1912/2207
    Keyword
     Oceanography; Ocean-atmosphere interaction; Ocean circulation; Energy budget (Geophysics) 
    Abstract
    Observational evidence of seasonal variability below the main thermocline in the eastern North Atlantic is described, and a theoretical model of oceanic response to seasonally varying windstress forcing is constructed to assist in the interpretation of the observations. The observations are historical conductivity-temperature-depth data from the Bay of Biscay region (2° to 20°W, 42° to 52°N), a series of eleven cruises over the three years 1972 through 1974, spaced approximately three months apart. The analysis of the observations utilizes a new technique for identifying the adiabatically leveled density field corresponding to the observed density field. The distribution of salinity anomaly along the leveled surfaces is examined, as are the vertical displacements of observed density surfaces from the leveled reference surfaces, and the available potential energy. Seasonal variations in salinity anomaly and vertical displacement occur as westward propagating disturbances with zonal wavelength 390 (±50) km, phase 71 (±30) days from 1 January, and maximum amplitudes of ±30 ppm and ±20 db respectively. The leveled density field varies seasonally with an amplitude corresponding to a thermocline displacement of ±15 db. The observations are consistent with the predictions of a model in which an ocean of variable stratification with a surface mixed layer and an eastern boundary is forced by seasonal changes in a sinusoidal windstress pattern, when windstress parameters calculated from the observations of Bunker and Worthington (1976) are applied.
    Description
    Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution August 1980
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    • WHOI Theses
    • Physical Oceanography (PO)
    Suggested Citation
    Thesis: Bray, Nancy Amanda, "Seasonal variability in the intermediate water of the eastern North Atlantic", 1980-08, DOI:10.1575/1912/2207, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2207
     

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