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Published byIlene Francis Modified over 9 years ago
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ANTARCTIC CIRCUMPOLAR CURRENT David Grace
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THE CURRENT Dominant Southern ocean current Largest ocean current “Mix Master” Keeps warm water out and cold water in
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STRUCTURE Subantarctic front Polar front Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front (SACCF)
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TRANSPORT West to East flow Connects three Ocean Basins (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian) ~125 Sv 135 Sv at Drake passage and 147 Sv south of Tasmania Flow is controlled by bottom topography Depths of 2000-4000 m (and can be as wide as 2000 km)
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MIXING Water, heat, and salt are mixed from the three ocean basins Salinity and temperature decrease as the water crosses the different fronts going more south
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DYNAMICS Water parcels drift outward due to Coriolis Northward Ekman transport balanced by southward, pressure driven flow (northward pressure bradient) ~10 cm/s Current driven by strong Westerly winds No land to impede momentum
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References http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/southern/ antarctic-cp.html http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/southern/ antarctic-cp.html http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_te xtbook/chapter13/chapter13_04.htm http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_te xtbook/chapter13/chapter13_04.htm http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/fahan_mi_shipwrec ks/infohut/acc.htm http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/fahan_mi_shipwrec ks/infohut/acc.htm http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki 100k/docs/Antarctic_Circumpolar_Current.html http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki 100k/docs/Antarctic_Circumpolar_Current.html
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