Abstract Fronts and thermohaline structure of the Brazil–Malvinas Confluence System (BMCS) are studied from climatic data, “Marathon Exp. Leg.8, 1984” data, and Sea surface temperature (SST) data base “ds277-Reynolds” (1981–2000). The South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) is divided in two main types: tropical (TW) and subtropical water (ST). Water masses, Fronts, Inter-Frontal and Frontal Zones are analysed and classified: (a) the water masses: Tropical Low-Salinity Water, Tropical Surface Water, Tropical Tropospheric Water, Subtropical Low-Salinity Water, Subtropical Surface Water, Subtropical Tropospheric Water. T,S characteristics of intermediate, deep and bottom water defined by different authors are confirmed and completed; (b) the Inter-Frontal Zones: Tropical/Brazil Current Zone, Subtropical Zone and Subantarctic Zone; (c) the Frontal Zones: Subtropical, Subantarctic and Polar, and (d) the Fronts: Subtropical Front of the Brazil Current, Principal Subtropical Front, North Subtropical Front, Subtropical Surface Front, South Subtropical Front, Subantarctic Surface Front, Subantarctic Front and Polar Front. Several stable T–S relationships are found below the friction layer and at the Fronts. The maximum gradient of the oceanographic characteristics occurs at the Brazil Current Front, which can be any of the subtropical Fronts, depending on season. Minimum mean depth of the pycnocline coincides with the Fronts of the BMCS, indicating the paths of low-salinity shelf waters into the open ocean. In the work it is shown how to recover the horizontal and vertical thermohaline structure of waters from satellite data RSMAS SST.


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    Title :

    Fronts and thermohaline structure of the Brazil–Malvinas Confluence System



    Published in:

    Advances in Space Research ; 49 , 9 ; 1373-1387


    Publication date :

    2012-01-29


    Size :

    15 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English


    Keywords :

    BMCS , Brazil–Malvinas Confluence System , “Marathon Exp. Leg.8, 1984” , Southwest Atlantic Ocean Marathon Expedition, Leg.8 , R/V “TOMAS Washington” , 26 October, 17 November 1984 , SST , Sea surface temperature , “ds277-Reynolds” , Data base “Improved global Sea surface temperature analysis using optimum interpolation” , SACW , South Atlantic Central Water , TW , Tropical Water , ST , Subtropical Water , SWA , Southwestern Atlantic , BMC , Brazil–Malvinas Confluence , BCF , Brazil Current Front , SAF , Subantarctic Front , MCF , Malvinas Current Front , CTD , Neil Brown Instrument Systems Conductivity–Temperature–Depth Profiler , AZ , Antarctic Zone , PFZ , Polar Frontal Zone , SAZ , Subantarctic Inter-Frontal basic Zone , STZ , Subtropical Inter-Frontal basic Zone , BCZ , Brazil Current Inter-Frontal basic Zone , BCSTF , Brazil Current Subtropical Front , PSTF , Principal Subtropical Front , NSTF , North Subtropical Front , STSF , Subtropical Surface Front , SSTF , South Subtropical Front , SASF , Subantarctic Surface Front , PF , Polar Front , SAwZ , Subantarctic warm secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , SAtZ , Subantarctic temperate secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , SAcZ , Subantarctic cold secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , STwZ , Subtropical warm secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , STtZ , Subtropical temperate secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , STcZ , Subtropical cold secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , BCwZ , Brazil Current warm secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , BCtZ , Brazil Current temperate secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , BCcZ , Brazil Current cold secondary Inter-Frontal Zone , TLSW , Tropical Low Salinity Water , TSW , Tropical Surface Water , TTW , Tropical Tropospheric Water , STLSW , Subtropical Low Salinity Water , STSW , Subtropical Surface Water , STTW , Subtropical Tropospheric Water , STtW , Subtropical temperate Water , STcW , Subtropical cold Water , SASW , Subantarctic Surface Water , SAMW , Subantarctic Mode Water , ASW , Antarctic Surface Water , AAIW , Antarctic Intermediate Water , CUDW , Circumpolar Upper Deep Water , NAUDW , North Atlantic Upper Deep Water , NADW , North Atlantic Deep Water , CLDW , Circumpolar Lower Deep Water , WSDW , Weddell Sea Deep Water , Classification , Fronts , Water masses , Zones , Sub-zones