A new study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows a significant increase in frequency of warm saltwater intrusions from the deep ocean to the continental shelf along the Middle Atlantic Bight, which extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
A new study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows a significant increase in frequency of warm saltwater intrusions from the deep ocean to the continental shelf along the Middle Atlantic Bight, which extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Using data collected from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Ecosystem Monitoring program, as well as data collected from the fishing industry, the study’s results show that ocean exchange processes have greatly changed over the past 20 years in this region.
The study’s findings were described in a recent paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.
“I think the reason the paper is so important is because it quantifies an ocean process changing, potentially as a direct result of ocean warming and more stratification,” said Glen Gawarkiewicz, WHOI senior scientist and paper corresponding author. “These findings could also have major shelf ecosystem implications. Given the increased frequency of mid-depth salty intrusions along the Mid-Atlantic Bight, it will be necessary to properly resolve this process in numerical simulations in order to account for salt budgets for the continental shelf and slope”
Read more at: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
