Numerical Studies of Negative Bouyancy-Induced Thermohaline Circulation on Arctic Continental Shelves

这一建议是由美国国家科学基金会北极系统科学项目推动的北极环境及其在全球变化中的作用系统研究的一部分。这是一个为期三年的项目，通过在一系列面向过程的研究中应用数值模式，了解与地表盐度通量相关的热盐环流动力学。在冰形成过程中，表面冷却和盐水流失导致北冰洋许多地区，特别是大陆架上的大量表面盐度通量。这种负浮力的输入增加了水的密度，以至于它可能下沉到海底，并诱发热盐环流模式，从而可能产生以羽状流形式出现的密集的海底水流。这种密集的水羽流可能会将陆架水输送到陆架的另一个陆架，并将其沉积到北极深处的盆地中，从而促成大规模的北极环流。

This proposal is part of a systematic study of the Arctic environment and its role in global change which is promoted by NSF's Arctic System Science Program. It is a three year project to understand the dynamics of the thermohaline circulation associated with surface salinity fluxes by applying a numerical model in a sequence of process-oriented studies. Surface cooling and brine rejection during ice formation lead to large surface salinity fluxes in many areas of the Arctic Ocean, particularly over the continental shelves. This negative buoyancy input increases the water density to such an extent that it may sink to the bottom and induce thermohaline circulation patterns with may generate dense-water bottom currents in the form of plumes. Such dense-water plumes may transport shelf water across the shelf and deposit it into the deep Arctic basins, thus contributing to the large-scale Arctic circulation.