The hydrography of the mid-latitude northeast Atlantic Ocean: I: The deep water masses

Abstract

The circulation of the deep water masses in the mid-latitude northeast Atlantic Ocean was studied by analysis of the distributions of potential temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, nitrate, and silicate. Pre-formed nutrients were used to allow a quantitative description of the deep water masses, especially the Northeast Atlantic Deep Water, in terms of four local source water types: Iceland–Scotland Overflow Water, Lower Deep Water, Labrador Sea Water, and Mediterranean Sea Water. Over the Porcupine Abyssal Plain between 2500 and 2900 dbar Northeast Atlantic Deep Water appears to be a mixture of mainly Iceland–Scotland Overflow Water and Labrador Sea Water (∼80%), with minor contributions of Lower Deep Water and Mediterranean Sea Water. When the Northeast Atlantic Deep Water re-circulates in the north-eastern Atlantic and flows southwards towards the Madeira Abyssal Plain, contributions of the former two water types of northern origin diminish to about 50% due to diapycnal mixing with the overlying and underlying water masses. The observed meridional and zonal trends of dissolved oxygen and nutrients in the Northeast Atlantic Deep Water appear to be caused both by diapycnal mixing with the underlying Lower Deep Water and by mineralization of organic matter. The eastward decrease of oxygen and increase of nutrients especially require considerable mineralization of organic matter near the European continental margin. At deeper levels (∼4100 dbar), where the nutrient rich Lower Deep Water is found near the bottom, the meridional gradients of oxygen and nutrients are opposite to those found between 2500 and 2900 dbar. Diapycnal mixing cannot explain this change in gradients, which is therefore considered to be a qualitative indication of ageing of the Lower Deep Water when it flows northwards. A considerable part of the Iceland–Scotland Overflow Water and the Lower Deep Water that enter the northeast Atlantic may be removed by deep upwelling in the Bay of Biscay and eastern Porcupine Plain.