Cape Verde Frontal Zone in summer 2017: lateral transports of mass, dissolved oxygen and inorganic nutrients

• Main Authors: N. Burgoa, F. Machín, Á. Rodríguez-Santana, Á. Marrero-Díaz, X. A. Álvarez-Salgado, B. Fernández-Castro, M. D. Gelado-Caballero, J. Arístegui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2021-06-01
• Series: Ocean Science
• Online Access: https://os.copernicus.org/articles/17/769/2021/os-17-769-2021.pdf
• ISSN: 1812-0784; 1812-0792

<p>The circulation patterns in the confluence of the North Atlantic subtropical and tropical gyres delimited by the Cape Verde Front (CVF) were examined during a field cruise in summer 2017. We collected hydrographic data, dissolved oxygen (<span class="inline-formula">O₂</span>) and inorganic nutrients along the perimeter of a closed box embracing the Cape Verde Frontal Zone (CVFZ). The detailed spatial (horizontal and vertical) distribution of water masses, <span class="inline-formula">O₂</span> and inorganic nutrients in the CVF was analyzed, allowing for the independent estimation of the transports of these properties in the subtropical and tropical domains down to 2000 <span class="inline-formula">m</span>. Overall, at surface and central levels, a net westward transport of 3.76 <span class="inline-formula">Sv</span> was observed, whereas at intermediate levels, a net 3 <span class="inline-formula">Sv</span> transport northward was obtained. We observed <span class="inline-formula">O₂</span> and inorganic nutrient imbalances in the domain consistent with <span class="inline-formula">O₂</span> consumption and inorganic nutrient production by organic matter remineralization, resulting in a net transport of inorganic nutrients to the ocean interior by the circulation patterns.</p>