Open-ocean polynyas formed over the Maud Rise, in the Weddell Sea, during the winters of 2016–2017. Such polynyas are rare events in the Southern Ocean and are associated with deep convection, affecting regional carbon and heat budgets. Using an ocean state estimate, we found that during 2017, early sea ice melting occurred in response to enhanced vertical mixing of heat, which was accompanied by mixing of salt. The melting sea ice compensated for the vertically mixed salt, resulting in a net buoyancy gain. An additional salt input was then necessary to destabilize the upper ocean. This came from a hitherto unexplored polynya-formation mechanism: an Ekman transport of salt across a jet girdling the northern flank of the Maud Rise. Such transport was driven by intensified eastward surface stresses during 2015–2018. Our results illustrate how highly localized interactions between wind, ocean flow and topography can trigger polynya formation in the open Southern Ocean.
Seasonal sea ice retreat is known to stimulate Southern Ocean phytoplankton blooms, but depth‐resolved observations of their evolution are scarce. Autonomous float measurements collected from 2015–2019 in the eastern Weddell Sea show that spring bloom initiation is closely linked to sea ice retreat timing. The appearance and persistence of a rare open‐ocean polynya over the Maud Rise seamount in 2017 led to an early bloom and high annual net community production. Widespread early ice retreat north of Maud Rise in 2017, however, had a similar effect, suggesting that the polynya most impacted the timing of bloom initiation. Still, higher productivity rates at Maud Rise relative to the surrounding region are observed in all years, likely supported by flow‐topography interactions. The longer growing season in 2017–2018 also allowed for separation of distinct spring and fall bloom signals, the latter of which was primarily subsurface and associated with mixed‐layer deepening.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10375378
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Volume:
- 47
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0094-8276
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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