Study of the structure and intensity of density currents in the shelf-slope region in the Antarctic

Abstract

The research involves the examination of modeling outcomes regarding the density structure and baroclinic dynamics of Antarctic shelf waters (ASW) within the shelf-slope area, encompassing a wide range of extreme weather conditions. We used a small-scale non-hydrostatic Fluidity-ICOM model to understand the formation and persistence of quasi-stationary polynyas in the Antarctic, which play a role in enhancing the formation of ASW. The salt fluxes, or buoyancy, are calculated for different forms of ice formation, namely static ice formation in young ice-covered polynyas and dynamic intra-water ice formation, which is considered the most effective and occurs in open water polynyas. Based on the intensification of ASW formation and its spread, three distinct modes of propagation along the continental slope have been identified: non-wave or subcritical mode, vortex mode, and wave or supercritical mode, which is characterized by rapid flow. The classification into different modes is determined by the internal Froude number (Fr) estimates. At the moment when the most developed stage of near-bottom density currents are transformed on a slope, the spatial dimensions of meanders, eddies, or frontal waves were found to be similar in magnitude, as well as their thickness. This observation aligns with model calculations of the local baroclinic Rossby deformation radius (RdL) for these currents. These findings agree with comparable assessments of the baroclinic Rossby deformation radius (RdL) for the Antarctic Slope Front (ASF) in the Commonwealth Sea, which were based on field observations. Additionally, the calculated propagation velocities of density currents and the density gradients at their boundaries coincide with the data obtained from field measurements. By estimating the volumetric fluxes (qv) and specific fluxes (ql) of ASW along the continental slope near the Cape Darnley coastal polynya area in the Commonwealth Sea, we can determine the contribution of ASW cascading to the formation of bottom waters under different flux regimes. The precision and accuracy of the qv and ql estimates are ensured through small-scale calculations using the non-hydrostatic Fluidity-ICOM model. These calculations consider the occurrences of intensified ASW formation in open water polynyas. Numerical experiments have revealed that a four-fold increase in a spatial step X results in an underestimation of qv by approximately 30%. As a consequence, in large-scale and even mesoscale hydrostatic models, such underestimation of qv and ql may be unsatisfactory (several times lower).