Variability of the Temperature Dome of Weddell Sea Deep Water Depending on the Intensity of the Cyclonic Wind Field

Abstract—Variations in the position of the dome of Weddell Sea Deep Water was studied based on the EN4 data on temperature and salinity for monthly mean conditions in February and August in 1993–2012 depending on the wind friction stress calculated according to the JRA55-do data. The dome itself is considered in the region 60°–67° S and 10°–25° W. The range of potential temperatures in the layer of Weddell Sea Deep Water is 0.02-0.20°C. Observed mean data of the dome of isotherms and isopycnals in February from 1993 to 2012 is formed as a sequence of the intensification of the thermohaline circulation in general and the wind circulation of water in the Weddell Sea. Isotherms experience periodic rise and descent under the influence of seasonal variability of the cyclonic nature and the intensity of the wind field. The outflow of deep water from the Weddell Sea mainly occurs through the Orkney Passage over a transverse ridge of about 3600 m deep. Depending on the rise or descent of the isotherms around this passage, warmer or colder Antarctic Bottom Waters enter the Scotia Sea.