Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
Volume 115, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1029/2009JC005557
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Funding
- European Commission [212643, EVK2-CT-2002-00141]
- NERC [dml010002, NE/F01239X/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Natural Environment Research Council [dml010002, NE/F01239X/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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The southwestern side of the Wyville Thomson Ridge transports cold Faroe-Shetland Channel Bottom Water in a narrow cascade from a depth of 500 m down to 1700 m. An upward looking acoustic Doppler current profiler located at a depth of 1200 m measured its currents to a height of 500 m for 6 months. The westward flowing deep density current (mean thickness 343 m) extended well above the bottom Ekman layer (of order 20 m) and had a profile with a bullet nose shape that had a peak velocity at a height that was about 1/3 of its thickness. The mean maximum speed was about 60 cm s(-1), although there was significant variability in velocity with 90% of the variance explained by mode 1 that had a similar bullet nose shape. From the downstream momentum balance it is estimated that the vertical eddy viscosity in the overflow was of order 0.5 m(2) s(-1) through most of its depth but somewhat larger near the interface. A full description of the velocity profile requires an opposing surface slope and current, with zero net pressure gradient within the overflow. The transverse circulation (mean speed similar to 3 cm s(-1)) had southward flows at the interface and seabed and a return flow at middepth. This circulation is driven by imbalances between Coriolis forcing from the downstream current and the transverse pressure gradient. Its overturning scales suggest a bulk eddy viscosity of order 2 m(2) s(-1) and may indicate a feedback between the downstream and transverse currents.
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