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Classifying Oceanographic Structures in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica
Author(s) -
Boehme Lars,
Rosso Isabella
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl089412
Subject(s) - oceanography , geology , trough (economics) , circumpolar star , bay , antarctic ice sheet , circumpolar deep water , sea ice , climatology , ice shelf , deep water , cryosphere , north atlantic deep water , economics , macroeconomics
The remote and often ice‐covered Amundsen Sea Embayment in Antarctica is important for transporting relatively warm modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW) to the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet, potentially accelerating its thinning and contribution to sea level rise. To investigate potential pathways and variability of mCDW, 3809 CTD profiles (instrumented seal and ship‐based data) are classified using a machine learning approach (Profile Classification Model). Five vertical regimes are identified, and areas of larger variability highlighted. Three spatial regimes are captured: Off‐Shelf, Eastern and Central Troughs. The on‐shelf profiles further show a separation between cold and warm modes. The variability is higher north of Burke Island and at the southern end of the Eastern Trough, which reflects the convergence of different mCDW pathways between the Eastern and the Central Trough. Finally, a clear but variable clockwise circulation is identified in Pine Island Bay.