Articles | Volume 13, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1209-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1209-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Drivers of summer oxygen depletion in the central North Sea
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS),
School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, UK
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Pakefield Road, NR33 0HT, Lowestoft, UK
Liam Fernand
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Pakefield Road, NR33 0HT, Lowestoft, UK
Timothy D. Jickells
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS),
School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, UK
Karen J. Heywood
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS),
School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, UK
Andrew J. Hind
Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS),
School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, UK
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Estel Font, Esther Portela, Sebastiaan Swart, Mauro Pinto-Juica, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 22, 387–401, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026, 2026
Short summary
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In the Sea of Oman, mode waters form at the surface in winter and are trapped beneath a warmer surface layer in spring, linking the surface ocean and the oxygen minimum zone. Using data from ocean gliders, our study examines how this layer evolves. Changes occur along layers of equal density, with brief episodes of vertical mixing, enhanced by eddies. Glider data reveal more variability than monthly means, showing the need for sustained glider observations to understand future ecosystem impacts.
Gerd A. Bruss, Estel Font, Bastien Y. Queste, and Rob A. Hall
Ocean Sci., 22, 31–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-31-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-31-2026, 2026
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We studied internal tides in the Gulf of Oman, where they had not been observed in detail before. Using seabed instruments, we found that these underwater waves travel far inshore, strengthen as the season shifts toward fall, and stay predictable for weeks. They may bring cooler, low-oxygen water to coastal areas, influencing marine ecosystems and reef health.
Daisy D. Pickup, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Karen J. Heywood, Francis Glassup, Emily M. Hammermeister, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Gareth A. Lee, Socratis Loucaides, Bastien Y. Queste, Benjamin G. M. Webber, and Patricia L. Yager
Ocean Sci., 21, 2727–2741, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2727-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2727-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Autonomous platforms in the Amundsen Sea have allowed for detection of isolated water masses that are colder, saltier and denser than overlying water. They are also associated with a higher dissolved inorganic carbon concentration and lower pH. The water masses, referred to as lenses, could have implications for the transfer of heat and storage of carbon in the region. We hypothesise that they form in surrounding areas that experience intense cooling and sea ice formation in autumn/winter.
Peter M. F. Sheehan, Benjamin G. M. Webber, Alejandra Sanchez-Franks, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 21, 1575–1588, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1575-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1575-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using measurements and computer models, we identify a large flux of oxygen within the Southwest Monsoon Current, which flows north into the Bay of Bengal between June and September each year. Oxygen levels in the bay are very low, but they are not quite low enough for key nutrient cycles to be as dramatically altered as in other low-oxygen regions. We suggest that the flux which we identify contributes to keeping oxygen levels in the bay above the threshold below which dramatic changes would occur.
Estel Font, Sebastiaan Swart, Puthenveettil Narayana Vinayachandran, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 21, 1349–1368, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1349-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1349-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mode water is formed annually and sits between the warm surface water and deeper older waters. In the Arabian Sea, it plays a crucial role in regulating ocean heat and oxygen variability by acting as a doorway between the surface and deeper waters. Using observations and models, we show that its formation is primarily driven by atmospheric forcing, though ocean currents, eddies, and biological heating also influence its life cycle. This water mass contributes up to 40 % of the region's oxygen content.
Blandine Jacob, Bastien Y. Queste, and Marcel D. du Plessis
Ocean Sci., 21, 359–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-359-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-359-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Few observations exist in the Amundsen Sea. Consequently, studies rely on reanalysis (e.g., ERA5) to investigate how the atmosphere affects ocean variability (e.g., sea-ice formation and melt). We use data collected along ice shelves to show that cold, dry air blowing from Antarctica triggers large ocean heat loss, which is underestimated by ERA5. We then use an ocean model to show that this bias has an important impact on the ocean, with implications for sea-ice forecasts.
Elise S. Droste, Mario Hoppema, Melchor González-Dávila, Juana Magdalena Santana-Casiano, Bastien Y. Queste, Giorgio Dall'Olmo, Hugh J. Venables, Gerd Rohardt, Sharyn Ossebaar, Daniel Schuller, Sunke Trace-Kleeberg, and Dorothee C. E. Bakker
Ocean Sci., 18, 1293–1320, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1293-2022, 2022
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Tides affect the marine carbonate chemistry of a coastal polynya neighbouring the Ekström Ice Shelf by movement of seawater with different physical and biogeochemical properties. The result is that the coastal polynya in the summer can switch between being a sink or a source of CO2 multiple times a day. We encourage consideration of tides when collecting in polar coastal regions to account for tide-driven variability and to avoid overestimations or underestimations of air–sea CO2 exchange.
Benjamin R. Loveday, Timothy Smyth, Anıl Akpinar, Tom Hull, Mark E. Inall, Jan Kaiser, Bastien Y. Queste, Matt Tobermann, Charlotte A. J. Williams, and Matthew R. Palmer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3997–4016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3997-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3997-2022, 2022
Short summary
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Using a new approach to combine autonomous underwater glider data and satellite Earth observations, we have generated a 19-month time series of North Sea net primary productivity – the rate at which phytoplankton absorbs carbon dioxide minus that lost through respiration. This time series, which spans 13 gliders, allows for new investigations into small-scale, high-frequency variability in the biogeochemical processes that underpin the carbon cycle and coastal marine ecosystems in shelf seas.
Yixi Zheng, David P. Stevens, Karen J. Heywood, Benjamin G. M. Webber, and Bastien Y. Queste
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New observations reveal the Thwaites gyre in a habitually ice-covered region in the Amundsen Sea for the first time. This gyre rotates anticlockwise, despite the wind here favouring clockwise gyres like the Pine Island Bay gyre – the only other ocean gyre reported in the Amundsen Sea. We use an ocean model to suggest that sea ice alters the wind stress felt by the ocean and hence determines the gyre direction and strength. These processes may also be applied to other gyres in polar oceans.
Rosie Chance, Martin R. Wadley, Lucy J. Carpenter, Ryan Pound, Mat J. Evans, Timothy D. Jickells, and David P. Stevens
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4580, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4580, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
Short summary
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Oceanic iodine has a profound impact on air quality and climate. Reaction with iodide at the sea surface is a key removal process for tropospheric ozone, a super-pollutant. Iodide concentrations vary according to biogeochemical processes and ocean mixing and circulation. Knowledge of iodide is crucial for modelling atmospheric ozone. We present a global mechanistic model (I-CYCLE) of the marine iodine cycle that can predict iodide and iodate distributions in the past, present and future.
Robert J. W. Brewin, Bethany Wilkinson, Xuerong Sun, Giorgio Dall'Olmo, Gavin H. Tilstone, Katharine R. Hendry, Sarah Breimann, Ian Brown, Angus Atkinson, Katrin Schmidt, Elisabetta Canuti, Meredith G. Meyer, Qi Zheng, Johannes J. Viljoen, Tom Bell, and Karen J. Heywood
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4398, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4398, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Ocean Science (OS).
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Phytoplankton are the foundation of the Antarctic food web. Their size affects carbon storage in the ocean and energy transfer to krill, fish, and whales. Because the northwestern Weddell Sea is rarely sampled, little is known about phytoplankton size there. Using ship-based measurements and satellite data, we found medium-sized phytoplankton dominate rather than the smallest types that dominate warmer oceans. This provides a baseline for tracking ecosystem responses to climate change.
Meredith G. Meyer, Robert J. W. Brewin, Xuerong Sun, Clara Manno, Florence Atherden, Sasha J. Kramer, Giorgio Dall'Olmo, and Karen J. Heywood
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Antarctica is a key region for carbon cycling and export. The efficiency of carbon export has been linked to the type of phytoplankton dominating the system. Our results suggest diatoms, haptophytes, and cryptophytes are present in all water column samples despite substantial physical differences between sampling locations. Our data shows a strong relationship between the proportion of diatoms, haptophytes, and cryptophytes relative to all other phytoplankton and the magnitude of carbon flux.
Estel Font, Esther Portela, Sebastiaan Swart, Mauro Pinto-Juica, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 22, 387–401, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-387-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In the Sea of Oman, mode waters form at the surface in winter and are trapped beneath a warmer surface layer in spring, linking the surface ocean and the oxygen minimum zone. Using data from ocean gliders, our study examines how this layer evolves. Changes occur along layers of equal density, with brief episodes of vertical mixing, enhanced by eddies. Glider data reveal more variability than monthly means, showing the need for sustained glider observations to understand future ecosystem impacts.
Tom A. Jordan, Karen J. Heywood, Anna Wåhlin, Rob A. Hall, Atsuhiro Muto, Pierre Dutrieux, Kelly Hogan, James Girton, Karen E. Alley, and Erin Pettit
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6001, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6001, 2026
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The shape of the water filled cavity hidden beneath ice shelves is extremely important, but hard to measure. Gravity data collected from aircraft can be used to predict the shape. However, in the Dotson Crosson ice shelves in West Antarctica, new direct observations from autonomous platforms sent beneath the ice, and seismic observations from the ice surface showed gravity models were systematically too shallow. We explain why and provide a solution applicable her and in other ice shelves.
Gerd A. Bruss, Estel Font, Bastien Y. Queste, and Rob A. Hall
Ocean Sci., 22, 31–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-31-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-31-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We studied internal tides in the Gulf of Oman, where they had not been observed in detail before. Using seabed instruments, we found that these underwater waves travel far inshore, strengthen as the season shifts toward fall, and stay predictable for weeks. They may bring cooler, low-oxygen water to coastal areas, influencing marine ecosystems and reef health.
Maren Elisabeth Richter, Karen J. Heywood, Rob A. Hall, and Peter E. D. Davis
Ocean Sci., 21, 3341–3359, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3341-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-3341-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Warm ocean water causes rapid melting of Antarctic glaciers. The circulation and mixing of warm water in ice shelf cavities is mostly unknown. We observed ocean currents and mixing under Dotson Ice Shelf. Mixing is low, with patches of higher mixing associated with stronger currents and vertical current shear. The levels of turbulent mixing will lead to negligible heat loss during the path of the warm water to the grounding line, leaving plenty of heat available to melt the ice shelf there.
Daisy D. Pickup, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Karen J. Heywood, Francis Glassup, Emily M. Hammermeister, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Gareth A. Lee, Socratis Loucaides, Bastien Y. Queste, Benjamin G. M. Webber, and Patricia L. Yager
Ocean Sci., 21, 2727–2741, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2727-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2727-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Autonomous platforms in the Amundsen Sea have allowed for detection of isolated water masses that are colder, saltier and denser than overlying water. They are also associated with a higher dissolved inorganic carbon concentration and lower pH. The water masses, referred to as lenses, could have implications for the transfer of heat and storage of carbon in the region. We hypothesise that they form in surrounding areas that experience intense cooling and sea ice formation in autumn/winter.
Christian T. Wild, Tasha Snow, Tiago S. Dotto, Peter E. D. Davis, Scott Tyler, Ted A. Scambos, Erin C. Pettit, and Karen J. Heywood
Ocean Sci., 21, 2605–2629, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2605-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-2605-2025, 2025
Short summary
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Thwaites Glacier is retreating due to warm ocean water melting it from below, but its thick ice shelf makes this heat hard to monitor. Using hot-water drilling, we placed sensors beneath the floating ice, revealing how surface freezing in Pine Island Bay influences heat at depth. Alongside gradual warming, we found bursts of heat that could speed up melting at the grounding zone, which may become more common as sea ice declines.
Shenjie Zhou, Pierre Dutrieux, Claudia F. Giulivi, Adrian Jenkins, Alessandro Silvano, Christopher Auckland, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Michael Meredith, Irena Vaňková, Keith Nicholls, Peter E. D. Davis, Svein Østerhus, Arnold L. Gordon, Christopher J. Zappa, Tiago S. Dotto, Ted Scambos, Kathryn L. Gunn, Stephen R. Rintoul, Shigeru Aoki, Craig Stevens, Chengyan Liu, Sukyoung Yun, Tae-Wan Kim, Won Sang Lee, Markus Janout, Tore Hattermann, Julius Lauber, Elin Darelius, Anna Wåhlin, Leo Middleton, Pasquale Castagno, Giorgio Budillon, Karen J. Heywood, Jennifer Graham, Stephen Dye, Daisuke Hirano, and Una Kim Miller
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 5693–5706, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5693-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5693-2025, 2025
Short summary
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We created the first standardised dataset of in-situ ocean measurements time series from around Antarctica collected since 1970s. This includes temperature, salinity, pressure, and currents recorded by instruments deployed in icy, challenging conditions. Our analysis highlights the dominance of tidal currents and separates these from other patterns to study regional energy distribution. This unique dataset offers a foundation for future research on Antarctic ocean dynamics and ice interactions.
Peter M. F. Sheehan, Benjamin G. M. Webber, Alejandra Sanchez-Franks, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 21, 1575–1588, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1575-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1575-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using measurements and computer models, we identify a large flux of oxygen within the Southwest Monsoon Current, which flows north into the Bay of Bengal between June and September each year. Oxygen levels in the bay are very low, but they are not quite low enough for key nutrient cycles to be as dramatically altered as in other low-oxygen regions. We suggest that the flux which we identify contributes to keeping oxygen levels in the bay above the threshold below which dramatic changes would occur.
Estel Font, Sebastiaan Swart, Puthenveettil Narayana Vinayachandran, and Bastien Y. Queste
Ocean Sci., 21, 1349–1368, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1349-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1349-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mode water is formed annually and sits between the warm surface water and deeper older waters. In the Arabian Sea, it plays a crucial role in regulating ocean heat and oxygen variability by acting as a doorway between the surface and deeper waters. Using observations and models, we show that its formation is primarily driven by atmospheric forcing, though ocean currents, eddies, and biological heating also influence its life cycle. This water mass contributes up to 40 % of the region's oxygen content.
Meredith G. Meyer, Esther Portela, Walker O. Smith Jr., and Karen J. Heywood
Ocean Sci., 21, 1223–1236, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1223-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-1223-2025, 2025
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During the annual phytoplankton bloom, rates of primary production and carbon export in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, are uncoupled from each other and from oxygen and carbon stocks. These biogeochemical rates support the high-productivity, low-export classification of the region and suggest that environmental factors influence these stocks and rates differently and make projections under future climate change scenarios difficult.
Blandine Jacob, Bastien Y. Queste, and Marcel D. du Plessis
Ocean Sci., 21, 359–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-359-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-359-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Few observations exist in the Amundsen Sea. Consequently, studies rely on reanalysis (e.g., ERA5) to investigate how the atmosphere affects ocean variability (e.g., sea-ice formation and melt). We use data collected along ice shelves to show that cold, dry air blowing from Antarctica triggers large ocean heat loss, which is underestimated by ERA5. We then use an ocean model to show that this bias has an important impact on the ocean, with implications for sea-ice forecasts.
Ria Oelerich, Karen J. Heywood, Gillian M. Damerell, Marcel du Plessis, Louise C. Biddle, and Sebastiaan Swart
Ocean Sci., 19, 1465–1482, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1465-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1465-2023, 2023
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At the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, relatively warm waters encounter the colder waters surrounding Antarctica. Observations from underwater vehicles and altimetry show that medium-sized cold-core eddies influence the southern boundary's barrier properties by strengthening the slopes of constant density lines across it and amplifying its associated jet. As a result, the ability of exchanging properties, such as heat, across the southern boundary is reduced.
Pierre L'Hégaret, Florian Schütte, Sabrina Speich, Gilles Reverdin, Dariusz B. Baranowski, Rena Czeschel, Tim Fischer, Gregory R. Foltz, Karen J. Heywood, Gerd Krahmann, Rémi Laxenaire, Caroline Le Bihan, Philippe Le Bot, Stéphane Leizour, Callum Rollo, Michael Schlundt, Elizabeth Siddle, Corentin Subirade, Dongxiao Zhang, and Johannes Karstensen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1801–1830, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1801-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1801-2023, 2023
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In early 2020, the EUREC4A-OA/ATOMIC experiment took place in the northwestern Tropical Atlantic Ocean, a dynamical region where different water masses interact. Four oceanographic vessels and a fleet of autonomous devices were deployed to study the processes at play and sample the upper ocean, each with its own observing capability. The article first describes the data calibration and validation and second their cross-validation, using a hierarchy of instruments and estimating the uncertainty.
Peter M. F. Sheehan, Gillian M. Damerell, Philip J. Leadbitter, Karen J. Heywood, and Rob A. Hall
Ocean Sci., 19, 77–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-77-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-77-2023, 2023
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We calculate the rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, i.e. the mixing driven by small-scale ocean turbulence, in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean via two methods. We find good agreement between the results of both. A region of elevated mixing is found between 200 and 500 m, and we calculate the associated heat and salt fluxes. We find that double-diffusive mixing in salt fingers, a common feature of the tropical oceans, drives larger heat and salt fluxes than the turbulent mixing.
Callum Rollo, Karen J. Heywood, and Rob A. Hall
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 359–373, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-359-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-359-2022, 2022
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Using an underwater buoyancy-powered autonomous glider, we collected profiles of temperature and salinity from the ocean north-east of Barbados. Most of the temperature and salinity profiles contained staircase-like structures of alternating constant values and large gradients. We wrote an algorithm to identify these staircases. We hypothesise that these staircases are prevented from forming where background gradients in temperature and salinity are too great.
Elise S. Droste, Mario Hoppema, Melchor González-Dávila, Juana Magdalena Santana-Casiano, Bastien Y. Queste, Giorgio Dall'Olmo, Hugh J. Venables, Gerd Rohardt, Sharyn Ossebaar, Daniel Schuller, Sunke Trace-Kleeberg, and Dorothee C. E. Bakker
Ocean Sci., 18, 1293–1320, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1293-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Tides affect the marine carbonate chemistry of a coastal polynya neighbouring the Ekström Ice Shelf by movement of seawater with different physical and biogeochemical properties. The result is that the coastal polynya in the summer can switch between being a sink or a source of CO2 multiple times a day. We encourage consideration of tides when collecting in polar coastal regions to account for tide-driven variability and to avoid overestimations or underestimations of air–sea CO2 exchange.
Benjamin R. Loveday, Timothy Smyth, Anıl Akpinar, Tom Hull, Mark E. Inall, Jan Kaiser, Bastien Y. Queste, Matt Tobermann, Charlotte A. J. Williams, and Matthew R. Palmer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3997–4016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3997-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3997-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Using a new approach to combine autonomous underwater glider data and satellite Earth observations, we have generated a 19-month time series of North Sea net primary productivity – the rate at which phytoplankton absorbs carbon dioxide minus that lost through respiration. This time series, which spans 13 gliders, allows for new investigations into small-scale, high-frequency variability in the biogeochemical processes that underpin the carbon cycle and coastal marine ecosystems in shelf seas.
Michael P. Hemming, Jan Kaiser, Jacqueline Boutin, Liliane Merlivat, Karen J. Heywood, Dorothee C. E. Bakker, Gareth A. Lee, Marcos Cobas García, David Antoine, and Kiminori Shitashima
Ocean Sci., 18, 1245–1262, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1245-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1245-2022, 2022
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An underwater glider mission was carried out in spring 2016 near a mooring in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The glider deployment served as a test of a prototype ion-sensitive field-effect transistor pH sensor. Mean net community production rates were estimated from glider and buoy measurements of dissolved oxygen and inorganic carbon concentrations before and during the spring bloom. Incorporating advection is important for accurate mass budgets. Unexpected metabolic quotients were found.
Yixi Zheng, David P. Stevens, Karen J. Heywood, Benjamin G. M. Webber, and Bastien Y. Queste
The Cryosphere, 16, 3005–3019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3005-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3005-2022, 2022
Short summary
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New observations reveal the Thwaites gyre in a habitually ice-covered region in the Amundsen Sea for the first time. This gyre rotates anticlockwise, despite the wind here favouring clockwise gyres like the Pine Island Bay gyre – the only other ocean gyre reported in the Amundsen Sea. We use an ocean model to suggest that sea ice alters the wind stress felt by the ocean and hence determines the gyre direction and strength. These processes may also be applied to other gyres in polar oceans.
Yanxin Wang, Karen J. Heywood, David P. Stevens, and Gillian M. Damerell
Ocean Sci., 18, 839–855, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-839-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-839-2022, 2022
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It is important that climate models give accurate projections of future extremes in summer and winter sea surface temperature because these affect many features of the global climate system. Our results demonstrate that some models would give large errors if used for future projections of these features, and models with more detailed representation of vertical structure in the ocean tend to have a better representation of sea surface temperature, particularly in summer.
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Short summary
In stratified shelf seas, physical and biological conditions can lead to seasonal oxygen depletion when consumption exceeds supply. An ocean glider obtained a high-resolution 3-day data set of biochemical and physical properties in the central North Sea. The data revealed very high oxygen consumption rates, far exceeding previously reported rates. A consumption–supply oxygen budget indicates a localized or short-lived resuspension event causing rapid remineralization of benthic organic matter.
In stratified shelf seas, physical and biological conditions can lead to seasonal oxygen...
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