Hydrographic and mixed layer depth variability on the shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska, 1974–1998

Abstract

A time series of hydrographic measurements, temperature and salinity versus depth, on the shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska (GAK 1) is used to determine the seasonal and interannual variability of the hydrography and mixed layer depth from 1974 through mid-1998. This is one of the first opportunities to incorporate salinity into the mixed layer depth (MLD) determination in this region where the density is highly dependent on salinity. The MLD changes seasonally from about 40 m in summer to more than 160 m in winter. This has potential implications for vertical fluxes of nutrients via winter MLD, leading to their annual replenishment. Spectral analysis of MLDs show that the time series have similar periodicities to the hydrography (decadal and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)). The MLD trend during 1974–1998 has a slight increase in the deepest winter MLD that is, however, not statistically significant at the 90% level. This is in contrast to previous studies which found a significant shoaling of the winter MLD in the offshelf region of the Gulf of Alaska at Ocean Station P (OSP) [Freeland, H., Denman, K., Wong, C.S., Whitney, F., Jacques, R., 1997. Evidence of change in the winter mixed layer in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Deep Sea Research 44, 2117–2129]. This difference in the response of the marine system is consistent with an increase in the circulation of the Alaskan Gyre with enhanced upwelling in the central gulf (OSP) and enhanced downwelling along the coast (GAK 1).