Formation of intermediate water in the Greenland Sea during the 1990s

The transformation rates of upper water into intermediate water (500 to 1600 m) of the central Greenland Sea are deduced from annual changes in CFC tracer inventories between 1991 and 2000. Transformation was found to be intermittent in time, mainly taking place in the winters of 1994/1995 and 1999/2000. Formation rates are of the order of 0.2 to 0.9 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m³ s^-1), equivalent to a 10-year average of up to 0.2 Sv. Associated changes in heat content of the intermediate layer are consistent with a winter-time heat loss of 20 W m^-2 over 1 month (75 W m^-2 over 1 week) at the sea surface.

Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 219 - "Hydrobiological variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999", symposium held in Edinburgh, 8-10 August 2001. To access  the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 219".