Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-15-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-15-2016
01 Feb 2016
 | 01 Feb 2016

A gridded data set of upper-ocean hydrographic properties in the Weddell Gyre obtained by objective mapping of Argo float measurements

K. A. Reeve, O. Boebel, T. Kanzow, V. Strass, G. Rohardt, and E. Fahrbach

Abstract. The Weddell Gyre plays a crucial role in the modification of climate by advecting heat poleward to the Antarctic ice shelves and by regulating the density of water masses that feed the lowest limb of the global ocean overturning circulation. However, our understanding of Weddell Gyre water mass properties is limited to regions of data availability, primarily along the Prime Meridian. The aim of this paper is to provide a data set of the upper water column properties of the entire Weddell Gyre. Objective mapping was applied to Argo float data in order to produce spatially gridded, time-composite maps of temperature and salinity for fixed pressure levels ranging from 50 to 2000 dbar, as well as temperature, salinity and pressure at the level of the sub-surface temperature maximum. While the data are currently too limited to incorporate time into the gridded structure, the data are extensive enough to produce maps of the entire region across three time-composite periods (2001–2005, 2006–2009 and 2010–2013), which can be used to determine how representative conclusions drawn from data collected along general RV transect lines are on a gyre scale perspective. The work presented here represents the technical prerequisite for addressing climatological research questions in forthcoming studies. The data sets are available in netCDF format at doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.842876.

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Short summary
We present spatially gridded, time-composite mapped data of temperature and salinity of the upper 2000m of the Weddell Gyre through the objective mapping of Argo float data. This was realized on fixed-pressure surfaces ranging from 50 to 2000 dbar. Pressure, temperature and salinity are also available at the level of the sub-surface temperature maximum, which represents the core of Warm Deep Water, the primary heat source of the Weddell Gyre. A detailed description of the methods is provided.
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