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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2014
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2014
05 Sep 2023
 | 05 Sep 2023

Persistence of a Subsurface Water Mass in a Deep Mid-Latitude Fjord

Laura Bianucci, Jennifer Jackson, Susan Elizabeth Allen, Maxim Krassovski, and Ian Giesbrecht

Abstract. Fjords are common geomorphological coastal features in the mid- and high-latitudes, carved by glacial erosion. These deep nearshore zones connect watersheds and oceans, typically behaving as an estuary. Many fjords in the world have shown concerning warming and deoxygenation trends in their deep waters, sometimes at faster rates than the open ocean. While that is the case in several fjords of British Columbia (BC), Canada, some of the same fjords have shown that strong Arctic outflow wind events in winter can lead to cooling and reoxygenation of subsurface waters, with effects lasting until the following autumn. The latter was observed in Bute Inlet, BC in 2019. We used a high-resolution, three-dimensional ocean model to investigate the mechanisms allowing for the persistence of these subsurface conditions through the year. The presence of the subsurface cold water mass reduced the already weak residual circulation, changing its vertical structure from three to four layers. The reduction of mixing and advection allowed for the water mass to stay in place until autumn conditions arrived (i.e., strong wind mixing and reduced freshwater forcing). The identification of mechanisms that allow for the persistence of cold and oxygenated conditions are key to understand potential areas of ecological refugia in a warming and deoxygenating ocean.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

14 Mar 2024
Fjord circulation permits a persistent subsurface water mass in a long, deep mid-latitude inlet
Laura Bianucci, Jennifer M. Jackson, Susan E. Allen, Maxim V. Krassovski, Ian J. W. Giesbrecht, and Wendy C. Callendar
Ocean Sci., 20, 293–306, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-293-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-293-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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Fjords are deep coastal features in the nearshore that provide much ecological, economical, and...
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