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New Chemical, Bio-Optical and Physical Observations of Upper Ocean Response to the Passage of a Mesoscale Eddy off BermudaA mesoscale eddy advected across the Bermuda Testbed Mooring site over a 30-day period centered on July 14, 1995. Temperature and current measurements along with biogeochemical measurements were used to characterize the biological response of the upper ocean associated with the introduction of nitrate into the euphoric layer due to the doming of isotherms associated with the eddy. Complementary shipboard data showed an anomalous water mass, which extended from a depth of approximately 50 to 1000 m, manifesting as a cold surface expression and warm anomaly at depth. Although mesoscale eddies are frequently observed in the Sargasso Sea, the present observations are particularly unique because of the high-temporal-resolution measurements of the new instrumentation deployed on the mooring. Analyzers that measure nitrate plus nitrite were placed at depths of 80 and 200 m and bio-optical sensors were located at depths of 20, 35, 45, 71, and 86 m. Peak nitrate values of nearly 3.0 microns at 80 m and chlorophyll alpha values of 1.4 mg/cu m at 71 m were observed, as well as a 25- to 30-meter shoaling of the 1% light level depth. A Doppler shift from the inertial period (22.8 hours) to 25.2 hours was observed in several time series records due to the movement of the eddy across the mooring. Inertial pumping brought cold, nutrient-rich waters farther into the euphotic zone than would occur solely by isothermal lifting. Silicic acid was depleted to undetectable levels owing to the growth of diatoms within the eddy. The chlorophyll alpha values associated with the eddy appear to be the largest recorded during the 8 years of the ongoing U.S. JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Study (BATS) program.
Document ID
20020071029
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
McNeil, J. D.
(University of Southern California Santa Barbara, CA United States)
Jannasch, H. W.
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. MA United States)
Dickey, T.
(University of Southern California Santa Barbara, CA United States)
McGillicuddy, D.
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. MA United States)
Brzekinski, M.
(California Univ. Santa Barbara, CA United States)
Sakamoto, C. M.
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. MA United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
July 15, 1999
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 104
Issue: C7
Subject Category
Oceanography
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-6455
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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