Gap winds and their effects on regional oceanography Part II: Kodiak Island, Alaska

Details

• Journal Title:
  Deep-Sea Research Part II-Topical Studies in Oceanography
• Personal Author:
  Ladd, Carol ; Cheng, Wei ; Salo, Sigrid
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; PMEL (Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory) ; JISAO (Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean)
• Description:
  Frequent gap winds, defined here as offshore-directed flow channeled through mountain gaps, have been observed near Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Gap winds from the Iliamna Lake gap were investigated using QuikSCAT wind data. The influence of these wind events on the regional ocean was examined using satellite and in situ data combined with Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) model runs. Gap winds influence the entire shelf width ( > 200 km) northeast of Kodiak Island and extend an additional similar to 150 km off-shelf. Due to strong gradients in the along-shelf direction, they can result in vertical velocities in the ocean of over 20 m d(-1) due to Ekman pumping. The wind events also disrupt flow of the Alaska. Coastal Current (ACC), resulting in decreased flow down Shelikof Strait and increased velocities on the outer shelf. This disruption of the ACC has implications for freshwater transport into the Bering Sea. The oceanographic response to gap winds may influence the survival of larval fishes as Arrowtooth Flounder recruitment is negatively correlated with the interannual frequency of gap-wind events, and Pacific Cod recruitment is positively correlated. The frequency of offshore directed winds exhibits a strong seasonal cycle averaging similar to 7 days per month during winter and similar to 2 days per month during summer. Interannual variability is correlated with the Pacific North America Index and shows a linear trend, increasing by 1.35 days per year. An accompanying paper discusses part I of our study (Ladd and Cheng, 2016) focusing on gap-wind events flowing out of Cross Sound in the eastern GOA. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
• Source:
  Deep-Sea Research Part Ii-Topical Studies in Oceanography, 132, 54-67.
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.08.005
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  Grant no. NA10OAR4320148
• Rights Information:
  Accepted Manuscript
• Rights Statement:
  The NOAA IR provides access to this content under the authority of the government's retained license to distribute publications and data resulting from federal funding. While users may legally access this content, the copyright owners retain rights that govern the reproduction, redistribution, and re-use of this work. The user is solely responsible for complying with applicable copyright law.
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a16a6f602b6c8bfbfd1448967629c7782d3f03b0d648fc03408f13fe5985b8de64487a7602ad2c24c0eb6ac11e7fcc0c831351f86e1b41fea49ab57ef6247afe
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/13241/noaa_13241_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.22 MB ]