INVESTIGADORES
CHIDICHIMO MarÍa Paz
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Brazil current transport variability at 34.5°S
Autor/es:
CHIDICHIMO, M. P.; PIOLA, A. R.; MEINEN, C. S.; PEREZ, R. C. ; MATANO, R.; GARZOLI, S. L.; COMBES, V. ; CAMPOS, E. J. D.
Lugar:
Praga
Reunión:
Simposio; 26th International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly; 2015
Institución organizadora:
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)
Resumen:
The transport variability of the Brazil Current is analyzed from data collected in the South Atlantic Ocean at 34.5°S with four pressure-equipped inverted echo sounders between May 2009 and December 2012. The instruments were deployed near the western boundary as part of the Southwest Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAM) program to continuously monitor the Brazil Current and the Deep Western Boundary Current as they transport components of meridional overturning circulation variability. Daily timeseries of absolute Brazil Current transport are estimated vertically integrating the geostrophic velocities (baroclinic referenced to the bottom plus barotropic) from the sea surface to the neutral density surface at the interface between South Atlantic Central Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water. The time-mean absolute southward Brazil Current transport is -12.2 Sv with a temporal standard deviation of 5.7 Sv. Transport variations of about 30 Sv (from trough to peak) occur over periods as short as 3 weeks. Fluctuations with periods shorter than 100 days account for 70% of the variance. The baroclinic component mostly contributes variability at periods less than 100 days while the barotropic component contributes shorter-term variability at periods less than 30 days. The temporal standard deviation is 5.2 Sv for the baroclinic component and 2.3 Sv for the barotropic component. Thus, the variability of the baroclinic component accounts for the largest fraction of the absolute transport variability (83%). The relationship between the variability of the Brazil Current and the variability of the South Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and its associated meridional heat transport will be looked at.
