Abstract: Observations of finescale shear-strain and turbulence near the Yermak Plateau

 

 

Authors: Ilker Fer

Earlier studies have identified the Yermak Plateau as a region of enhanced tidal variability, internal wave activity and turbulent mixing. The plateau, located north of Svalbard, is close to the branches of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) carrying warm and saline Atlantic Water towards the Arctic. In July 2007, observations were made to address the processes involved in mixing of the WSC and in the topographic influence of the Yermak Plateau, including internal waves. The sampling covered fine to small scales using ship-CTD, ship-ADCP, expendable current profilers, microstructure profiler equipped with shear-probes and a 8-day duration mooring heavily equipped with Microcat CTD loggers. Five stations were occupied for one day duration each, repeating turbulence profiling at hourly intervals. The sampling site is limited by the ice-edge in the north and is about 200 km south of the northern flanks where significant internal wave generation and mixing were reported. The data set will be used to discuss the role of tide-topography interaction with emphasis on internal waves and mixing.