The effect of Antarctic Circumpolar Current transport on the frontal variability in Drake Passage

Abstract

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is composed of three major fronts: the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF), the Polar Front (PF), the Southern ACC Front (SACCF). The locations of these fronts are variable. The PF can shift away from its historical (mean) location by as much as 100 km. The transport of the ACC in Drake Passage varies from its mean (134 Sv) by as much as 60 Sv. A regional numerical circulation model is used to study frontal variability in Drake Passage as affected by a range of volume transports (from 95 Sv to 155 Sv with an interval of 10 Sv). Large transport shifts the fronts northward while the smaller transport causes a southward shift. The mean shifting distance of the PF from the historical mean location is minimum with 135 Sv transport. The SAF and the SACCF are confined by northern and southern walls, respectively, while the PF is loosely controlled by the topography. Due to impact of the eddies and meanders on the PF at several regions in Drake Passage, the PF may move northward to join the SAF or move southward to combine with the SACCF, especially in central Scotia Sea. The SAF and PF are more stable with higher transport. The SAF behaves as a narrow, strong frontal jet with large transport while displaying meanders with smaller transport. In the model simulations, the Ertel Potential Vorticity (EPV) is strongly correlated with the volume transport stream function. EPV at depths between 1000 and 2500 m is correlated with the transport stream function with a coefficient above 0.9. Near the bottom, the correlation is about 0.6 due to the disruptive influence of bottom topography. Within 750 m of the surface, the correlation is much reduced due to the effect of K-Profile Parameterization (KPP) mixing and eddy mixing.