Details:

Journal Title:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Personal Author:
Androulidakis, Yannis ; Kourafalou, Vassiliki ; Le Hénaff, Matthieu ; Kang, HeeSook ; Sutton, Tracey ; ... More +
Androulidakis, Yannis ; Kourafalou, Vassiliki ; Le Hénaff, Matthieu ; Kang, HeeSook ; Sutton, Tracey ; Chen, Shuangling ; Hu, Chuanmin ; Ntaganou, Nektaria Less -
NOAA Program & Office:
OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; AOML (Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory) ; NOS (National Ocean Service) ; NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) ; CIMAS (Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies)
OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; AOML (Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory) ; NOS (National Ocean Service) ; NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) ; CIMAS (Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies) Less -
Description:
Abstract The three-dimensional structure of the offshore export of Mississippi River (MR) waters is documented for the first time with in situ data. Numerical simulations and satellite data in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are also employed to study two pathways that were detected in summer of 2015, along the eastern and western sides of the Loop Current (LC). The initial formation of offshore branches was primarily due to the interaction of the anticyclonic LC and LC Eddy (which were close to the MR Delta and the Louisiana-Texas shelf-slope, respectively) with riverine waters that had been advected eastward by westerly winds (which reduced the westward buoyancy-driven currents). The interaction of anticyclonic circulation patterns with cyclones (LC Frontal Eddies) was found to influence the dynamics and structure of the branches. Thickness variability and other vertical characteristics of the brackish plumes were investigated from their origin in the northern GoM through their extension in the Straits of Florida. In particular, offshore branch thickness increased near the LC and LC Frontal Eddy fronts. The two types of pathways revealed different factors contributing to the low-salinity waters. Besides the MR input, precipitation contributed to the eastern pathway, while waters from additional northern GoM rivers contributed to the western pathway. The study offers new insights on the processes that control the formation and the offshore (southward) advection of low-salinity waters. These processes have implications on the properties of waters hundreds of kilometers from the northern river sources, extending to the southern Gulf and the Straits of Florida.
Keywords:
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Eddies Loop Current Mississippi River Ocean Salinity HYCOM Observations River Plume
Source:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124(8), 5952-5978.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014661
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
Grant nos: NA17NOS4510099 ; NA15OAR4320064 ; NA15NOS4510226 ; NA11NOS4780045
Grant nos: NA17NOS4510099 ; NA15OAR4320064 ; NA15NOS4510226 ; NA11NOS4780045 Less -
Place as Subject:
Mexico, Gulf of ; United States
Mexico, Gulf of ; United States Less -
Rights Information:
Other
Compliance:
Submitted
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:c5b2c6ba3577c907a0cfb1cf56f0d48d32bc66d4259bc9e249e50e6ea12db546
Download URL:
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/22079/noaa_22079_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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