Oceanography of the Ross Sea Antarctica

The era of the exploration of the World Ocean is not yet over: some areas still lack an adequate number of observations. The relationships between the physical, chemical and biological processes, which sustain the life on this planet, are not yet fully understood. In short, knowledge of the oceans is still far from satisfactory. This book covers an important period in the study of one of the last investigated areas of the World Ocean: the Ross Sea, Antarctica. During the 1990s, long-term experiments were conducted in this area as part of the Climatic Long-term Interaction for the Mass balance in Antarctica (CLIMA) project of the Italian National Programme for Antarctic Research (PNRA), providing a wealth of oceanographic information. This book is an outcome of the CLIMA field obser vations and international collaborations with the most important programmes in the Ross Sea-Southern Ocean area. It contributes to the st!ldies of the spatial and temporal variability of Ross Sea water masses and circulation and their relation ship with the Southern Ocean circulation. A comprehensive review of historical data is offered, and new data sets are analysed. The studies presented in this book show that much progress has been achieved during the last decade, but large gaps in our understanding of the physical processes in the Ross Sea are still to be filled. However, these studies contribute significantly to the investigation of some specific aspects regarding the circula tion of the main water masses.

Klappentext

This volume provides an overview of the experiences and results gained from oceanographic observations and research in Antarctica - in particular the Ross Sea - with the aim of providing guidelines for future developments and identifying future research needs. A general description and discussion of the oceanography of the Southern Ocean, and in particular of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is given and the linkages between circulation and particle flux and biogenic elements are explored. This up-to-date data analysis and modelling effort contributes to a more complete understanding of the Ross Sea as a dynamical and ecological system and will be of great interest to scientists involved in physical oceanography, meteorology, climate and marine biological research.

Inhalt
General Aspects.- Thermohaline Data and Ocean Circulation on the Ross Sea Continental Shelf.- Mapping the Thickness of Pancake Ice Using Ocean Wave Dispersion in SAR Imagery.- The Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.- Observations of the Dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean.- Altimeter Data Analysis of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.- Upper Ocean Thermal Structure and Fronts Between New Zealand and the Ross Sea (Austral Summer 19941995 and 19951996).- The Large-Scale Thermohaline Structure of the Ross Gyre.- Water Masses and Dynamics of the Ross Sea Continental Shelf.- Temporal Variability of Currents in the Ross Sea (Antarctica).- Reconstructing the General Circulation of the Ross Sea (Antarctica) Using a Robust Diagnostic Model.- A Wind and Boundary Driven Circulation Model of the Ross Sea.- Wintertime Expansion and Contraction of the Terra Nova Bay Polynya.- Current, Temperature and Salinity Observations in the Terra Nova Bay Polynya Area.- Particle Fluxes and Organic Matter.- Particle Fluxes at the Edge of the Ross Ice Shelf: The Role of Physical Forcing.- Actual Sedimentation on the Antarctic Continental Shelf (Southern Part of the Ross Sea).- Particle Fluxes and Sediment Characteristics at Three Selected Sites in the Ross Sea (Antarctica).- General Characteristics of DensityTurbidity Currents in the Ross Sea (Antarctica).- Vertical Distribution and Biochemical Composition of Pico- and Microparticulate Organic Matter in the Ross Sea (Antarctica).- Meteorological Processes.- On the Heat Energy Fluxes in the Non-stationary Surface Boundary Layer at Hells Gate, Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica).- Meteorological Conditions During Snowfall at Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica).