Abstract's details

Satellite altimetry and current-meter velocities in the Malvinas Current: Volume transport and modes of variations at 44.7°S.

Ramiro Ferrari (Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera., Argentina)

CoAuthors

Martin Saraceno (Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera., Argentina); Guillermina F. Paniagua (Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera., Argentina); Christine Provost (LOCEAN, France)

Event: 2018 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting

Session: Others (poster only)

Presentation type: Type Poster

Contribution: not provided

Abstract:

The southern portion of Malvinas Current (MC) circulation was exanimated using satellite altimetry data and at in-situ velocity time series gathered at three mooring sites (from March 2015 to May 2017) along the Patagonian Shelf break at 44.7°S. The in-situ data provided the first opportunity to compare altimetry-derived velocities with high temporal resolution near-surface current meter velocities in this tract of MC. Globally, altimetry-derived velocities compared rather well with the in-situ velocities at 300 m depth both in strength and direction. Correlations were high (>0.8) between the in-situ velocities and the surface velocities derived from satellite altimetric data. The quality of the altimetric surface geostrophic velocities being assessed, altimetry was used to further interpret the observations at the isolated mooring sites and to put them in context of the 24-year-long altimetric time series. Leading modes and temporal scales of variability were analyzed. During the in-situ measurement period, the spatial structure of the two-dominant modes of Mean Sea Level Anomaly that explain more than 50% of the variance were associated to the presence a westward meander of high ADT close to 44.7° S, which affect the MC flow beyond that latitude. The 24-year-long altimetry time series revealed that these patterns are robust. Moreover, we combined altimetric and the in-situ data to compute a volume transport time series of the MC at 44.7°S. Finally, the origins of these variations and the impacts in the volume transport are discussed.
 

Poster show times:

Room Start Date End Date
Foyer, Salao Nobre & tent Thu, Sep 27 2018,18:00 Thu, Sep 27 2018,20:00
Ramiro Ferrari
Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera.
Argentina
ramiro.ferrari@cima.fcen.uba.ar