Interannual variability of Circumpolar Deep Water in the Amundsen Sea: Model and Observation

Abstract

Observations based on mooring stations as well as hydrographic survey have shown that Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) intrusion and behaviors in the Amundsen Sea Embayment show year-to-year variations. In this study, we analyzed model data (2001-2016) of a high-resolution MITgcm ocean model that allows ocean-ice shelf interaction, by comparing with observational data including a recent Araon expedition. We find that distinct patterns in hydrographic profiles observed in 2012 and 2014 attribute to wind stress curl and its relevant up- and downwelling processes in the oceanic interior.