RAFOS Float Trajectories from the Labrador Sea Water Level in the Iceland Basin, 1997 - 2003. 2. Ed..

Lankhorst, Matthias, Nielsen, Martina and Zenk, Walter (2004) RAFOS Float Trajectories from the Labrador Sea Water Level in the Iceland Basin, 1997 - 2003. 2. Ed.. . IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany, 6 pp.

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Abstract

The overall objective of the subproject A3 of SFB 460* (1996 - 2003) was to observe the water mass transformation in the eastern basin of the subpolar gyre with direct methods including RAFOS floats. Our floats populated the 1500 m depth range of the Iceland Basin occupied by low salinity Labrador Sea Water and higher salinity Overflow Water. The first water mass reaches the Basin through the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. Its source region is in the Labrador Sea where it is generated on a yearly basis by deep reaching winter time convection. The second intermediate water mass of the eastern basin enters the region as Iceland Scotland Overflow Water with its perpetual source in the Norwegian Seas. At the southeastern margin of our region of interest remainders of Mediterranean Water mix with the other two characteristic water masses. A smaller number of floats was deployed in the lower deep water of the Iceland Basin at nominally 2600m depth.

Data for the presented gallery of intermediate float trajectories were collected between summer 1997 and summer 2003. We have tracked 57 RAFOS floats. These neutrally buoyant in-situ drifters were launched during six research cruises. Their average underwater missions exceeded one year. The Lagrangian experiment lasted until 2003 when all four sound sources were completely recovered. The data set comprises also trajectories from float parks. These ensembles of floats enable repeated Lagrangian time series with identical initial conditions allowing estimates of the representativeness of individual trajectories.
*SFB (Sonderforschungsbereich) stands for an accelerated research initiative comprising intensive observations and modelling efforts of fluctuations in the thermohaline circulation in the subpolar gyre of the North Atlantic.

Document Type: Report (Project Report)
Keywords: RAFOS floats; ocean circulation; physical oceanography
Research affiliation: OceanRep > SFB 460 (1996-2006)
OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB1 Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics > FB1-PO Physical Oceanography
Refereed: No
Publisher: IFM-GEOMAR
Date Deposited: 01 Sep 2009 15:44
Last Modified: 20 Apr 2012 10:58
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/7404

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