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Observation of oxygen ventilation into deep waters through targeted deployment of multiple A rgo‐ O 2 floats in the north‐western M editerranean S ea in 2013
Author(s) -
Coppola L.,
Prieur L.,
TaupierLetage I.,
Estournel C.,
Testor P.,
Lefevre D.,
Belamari S.,
LeReste S.,
Taillandier V.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2016jc012594
Subject(s) - biogeochemical cycle , oceanography , argo , environmental science , oxygen , geology , chemistry , environmental chemistry , organic chemistry
During the winter 2013, an intense observation and monitoring was performed in the north‐western Mediterranean Sea to study deep water formation process that drives thermohaline circulation and biogeochemical processes (HYMEX SOP2 and DEWEX projects). To observe intensively and continuously the impact of deep convection on oxygen (O 2 ) ventilation, an observation strategy was based on the enhancement of the Argo‐O 2 floats to monitor the offshore dense water formation area (DWF) in the Gulf of Lion prior to and at the end of the convective period (December 2012 to April 2013). The intense O 2 measurements performed through shipborne CTD casts and Argo‐O 2 floats deployment revealed an O 2 inventory rapidly impacted by mixed layer (ML) deepening on the month scale. The open‐sea convection in winter 2013 ventilated the deep waters from mid‐February to the end of May 2013. The newly ventilated dense water volume, based on an Apparent Oxygen Utilization (AOU) threshold, was estimated to be about 1.5 × 10 13 m 3 during the DWF episode, increasing the deep O 2 concentrations from 196 to 205 µmol kg −1 in the north‐western basin.