Journal
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART II-TOPICAL STUDIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY
Volume 109, Issue -, Pages 5-13Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.12.005
Keywords
Bering Sea; Slope currents; Satellite altimetry; Surface topography
Categories
Funding
- NSF [1107250]
- Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
- Directorate For Geosciences [1107250] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Time series of sea-surface height anomalies derived from satellite altimeters and absolute dynamic topography are used to examine variability in the geostrophic surface currents in the Eastern Bering Sea. The data suggest that the primary source of water to the eastern boundary currents of the Bering Sea is flow from the North Pacific through Amukta Pass, an Aleutian pass located at similar to 172 degrees W. The Aleutian North Slope Current (ANSC) is strongest and most variable in the winter months. Upon turning the corner to feed the Bering Slope Current (BSC), the ANSC bifurcates, resulting in a westward flow at similar to 54 degrees N in addition to the northwestward flowing BSC. This westward countercurrent has not been previously observed. In the winter, the BSC flows strongly to the northwest and is located near the shelf-break. During the rest of the year, the mean flow is broadly northwestward, but weaker and farther from the shelf break. A continuous northwestward-flowing current is rarely observed in the altimetry data except during winter months, as it is overwhelmed by mesoscale variability. The strength of the BSC in winter is correlated with the Multivariate ENSO Index and the North Pacific Index on interannual timescales. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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