Antarctic Coastal Polynya Study: Moored Observations

*9727040里奇曼这个项目是对南极洲东部外大陆架深水和底层水团形成的研究。在与澳大利亚南极和南大洋环境合作研究中心的一项合作方案中，将于1998年初确定一系列海洋系泊设施，并于1998年12月收回。该项目将贡献两个海流计、温度记录器和温度-盐度传感器，用于澳大利亚的系泊设备，并参与回收数据的分析。南极大陆架是全球分布的深水区，尤其是南极底层水的源区。侵入大陆架的水被冷却，因为大气在高纬度从海洋中提取热量，而其盐度可能会因为结冰而增加。新形成的海冰的含盐量大大低于它冻结的海水；排除在外的盐分因此提高了剩余水的盐度。由于这两个过程都增加了水团的密度，它将在重力的驱动下流向海底。深海和底层水团的更替速度是全球气候问题的一个重要因素，例如海洋对大气二氧化碳的吸收和纬度温度梯度。系泊地点将在默茨冰川附近，那里每年持续的开阔水域增加了海洋对大气的热量损失和冰层的形成。系泊设施的部署和回收都将通过澳大利亚补给船“南极光”号完成。***

*** 9727040 Richman This project is a study of the formation of deep and bottom water masses on the continental shelf off East Antarctica. In a collaborative program with the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Environment, a series of oceanographic moorings will be set out in early 1998 and recovered in December 1998. This project will contribute two current meters, temperature recorders, and temperature-salinity sensors to be incorporated into the Australian moorings, and participate in the analysis of the recovered data. The antarctic continental shelves are the source regions for globally distributed deep water masses, particularly Antarctic Bottom Water. Water intruding on the continental shelf is cooled because the atmosphere extracts heat from the ocean at high latitude, and its salinity may be increased because of ice formation. Newly formed sea ice is substantially less salty than the ocean water in which it froze; the excluded salt thus raises the salinity of the remaining water. Since both processes increase the density of the water mass it will flow to the ocean bottom, driven by gravity. The rate at which deep and bottom water masses are replaced is an important factor in global climate issues such as the oceanic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the latitudinal temperature gradient. The mooring site will be off the Mertz Glacier, where an annually persistent area of open water enhances both ocean heat loss to the atmosphere and ice formation. Both the deployment and recovery of the moorings will be done from the Australian supply ship M.V. Aurora Australis. ***