HR: 0800h
AN: OS41B-0539    [Abstracts]
TI: Transport in the Solomon Sea Measured by an Ocean Glider in Aug-Nov 2007
AU: * Kessler, W S
EM: william.s.kessler@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, United States
AU: Davis, R E
EM: rdavis@ucsd.edu
AF: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8605 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
AU: Gourdeau, L
EM: gourdeau@noumea.ird.nc
AF: IRD/LEGOS Centre de Noumea, BP A5, Noumea, 98848, New Caledonia
AU: Sherman, J
EM: jtsherman@ucsd.edu
AF: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8605 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
AB: A coast-to-coast glider mission in the Solomon Sea measured the temperature, salinity and absolute velocity in August-November 2007. The Spray glider, built at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was launched about 3km from the reef edge at the southeast tip of Papua New Guinea. The glider first crossed the 200-km wide eastern mouth of Milne Bay between the two arms of the Papua Peninsula and again came close to land, then proceeded east across the remainder of the Sea to the Solomons coast for recovery. This is the first measurement of the complete low-latitude western boundary current (LLWBC) in the Solomon Sea, which has been a missing element of the Pacific shallow overturning cell. Vertically-averaged speeds in the LLWBC were 30-50 cm/s over the upper 500m. Surprisingly, about 8Sv of the LLWBC (perhaps half the total) flowed into Milne Bay rather than through the open Solomon Sea, and must exit through narrow, shallow channels on the northwest corner of the Bay. Beyond Milne Bay, recirculating, apparently permanent eddies were observed both east and west of the main stream. The geostrophic shear showed that the western boundary current had a subsurface maximum near 2-300m depth, as has been observed in the equatorial Pacific along the north coast of New Guinea. The mission will be repeated 3 more times in the next year to sample the annual cycle, with a view towards ongoing monitoring of the transport from the South Pacific to the equator.
DE: 4231 Equatorial oceanography
DE: 4262 Ocean observing systems
DE: 4512 Currents
DE: 4576 Western boundary currents
DE: 4594 Instruments and techniques
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting