HR: 0800h
AN: OS41A-0456    [Abstracts]
TI: Ocean Circulation and Exchanges Through the Northern Bering Sea - 1979-2001 Model Results
AU: * Clement, J L
EM: jlclemen@nps.edu
AF: Naval Postgraduate School, Dept of Oceanography, 833 Dyer Rd, Monterey, CA 93943 United States
AU: Maslowski, W
EM: maslowsk@nps.navy.mil
AF: Naval Postgraduate School, Dept of Oceanography, 833 Dyer Rd, Monterey, CA 93943 United States
AU: Cooper, L W
EM: lcooper1@utk.edu
AF: Univ. of Tennessee, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Knoxville, TN 37932 United States
AU: Grebmeier, J M
EM: jgrebmei@utk.edu
AF: Univ. of Tennessee, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Knoxville, TN 37932 United States
AU: Walczowski, W
EM: walczows@iopan.gda.pl
AF: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, PL-81-712 Poland
AB: Quantification of ocean circulation and water mass properties in the northern Bering Sea presents several challenges to both modelers and observationalists because of the large, shallow shelf and the relatively high flux of water northward through Bering Strait. We have developed a model with sufficiently high resolution ($\sim$9km) and a large enough spatial domain to allow for realistic representation of flow through the narrow and shallow straits in this region. Ocean circulation throughout the Bering Sea is highly variable seasonally, interannually, and possibily interdecadally. However, comparison of model results with observations indicates that it is also responsive to short-term events, such as one occurring during the winter of 2001 with reversed flow in some areas and much reduced sea ice cover. In addition, the modeled vertical water column structure in the northern Bering Sea gives insight into the transport of water northward through Bering Strait into the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. We compare model output in the Bering Strait region to a time series of moored observations of water mass properties. Eddy kinetic energy fields identify similar regions of the northern Bering Sea for high energy throughout the annual cycle. By comparison, even during autumn and winter when there is sea ice present, the deeper water column maintains high velocity and eddy kinetic energy, while the middle shelf of the Bering Sea is considerably less energetic. Comparison with shipboard observations of near-bottom salinity from late winter through autumn indicates that the model is reasonably representing the major water mass properties in the region. Primary production on the northern Bering shelves is strongly dependent on nutrient sources upwelled from the deep Bering Sea. Using EKE fields and salinity as a proxy for nutrient concentration below the mixed layer, we attempt to identify regions of high primary production.
DE: 4203 Analytical modeling
DE: 4207 Arctic and Antarctic oceanography
DE: 4215 Climate and interannual variability (3309)
DE: 4512 Currents
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE (New category)
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting