Chinese Journal of Polar Research

ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 2011, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (2-English): 74-80.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1085.2011.00074

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Marine hydrographic spatial-variability and its cause at the northern margin of the Amery Ice Shelf

GE RenFeng1, DONG ZhaoQian2, CHEN HongXia1, LIU Na1, SHI JiuXing3 & PU ShuZhen1*   

  1. 1 First Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Qingdao 266061, China;
    2 Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China;
    3 Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
  • Received:2011-02-27 Revised:2011-04-06 Online:1961-06-30 Published:1961-06-30
  • Contact: PU ShuZhen

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Abstract:

Conductivity, temperature and depth(CTD) data collected along a zonal hydrographic section from the northern margin of the Amery Ice Shelf on 25–27 February 2008 by the 24th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) cruise in the 2007/2008 austral summer are analyzed to study thermohaline structures. Analysis reveals warm subsurface water in a limited area around the east end of the northern margin, where the temperature, salinity and density have east-west gradients in the surface layer of the hydrographic section. The localization of the warm subsurface water and the causes of the CTD gradients in the surface layer are discussed. In addition, the results from these CTD data analyses are compared with those from the 22nd CHINARE cruise in the 2005/2006 austral summer. This comparison revealed that the thermoclines and haloclines had deepened and their strengths weakened in the 2007/2008 austral summer. The difference between the two data sets and the cause for it can be reasonably explained and attributed to the change in ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions at the northern margin of the Amery Ice Shelf.

Key words: Amery Ice Shelf, marine hydrography, spatial variability causes