On subsurface cooling associated with the Biobio River Canyon (Chile)

Abstract

AbstractSubmarine canyons cutting across the continental shelf can modulate the cross‐shelf circulation being effective pathways to bring water from the deep ocean onto the shelf. Here, we use 69 days of moored array observations of temperature and ocean currents collected during the spring of 2013 and winter‐spring 2014, as well as shipboard hydrographic surveys and sea‐level observations to characterize cold, oxygen poor, and nutrient‐rich upwelling events along the Biobio Submarine Canyon (BbC). The BbC is located within the Gulf of Arauco at 36° 50'S in the Central Chilean Coast. The majority of subtidal temperature at 150 m depth is explained by subtidal variability in alongshore currents on the canyon with a lag of less than a day (r2 = 0.65). Using the vertical displacement of the 10° and 10.5°C isotherms, we identified nine upwelling events, lasting between 20 h to 4.5 days, that resulted in vertical isothermal displacements ranging from 29 to 137 m. The upwelled water likely originated below 200 m. Majority of the cooling events were related with strong northward (opposite Kelvin wave propagation) flow and low pressure at the coast. Most of these low pressure events occur during relatively weak local wind forcing conditions, and were instead related with Coastal Trapped Waves (CTWs) propagating southwards from lower latitudes. These cold, high‐nutrient, low‐oxygen waters may be further upwelled and advected into the Gulf of Arauco by wind forcing. Thus, canyon upwelling may be a key driver of biological productivity and oxygen conditions in this Gulf.