Title
Understanding upper water mass dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico by linking physical and biogeochemical features
Date Issued
01 January 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Cervantes-Díaz G.Y.
Hernández-Ayón J.M.
Zirino A.
Herzka S.Z.
Camacho-Ibar V.
Norzagaray O.
Barbero L.
Sudre J.
Delgado J.A.
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
In the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), the upper 300 m of the water column contains a mixture of water types derived from water masses from the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea, namely Caribbean Surface Water (CSW), Subtropical Underwater (SUW), Gulf Common Water (GCW), and Tropical Atlantic Central Water (TACW). These are mainly altered by mesoscale processes and local evaporation, which modulate biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we improve our understanding of water mass dynamics by including biogeochemical data when evaluating the T-S relationship to define water-mass boundaries, particularly when the observed thermohaline characteristics overlap. The variables considered were apparent oxygen utilization (AOU), nitrate, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The data were obtained from eight cruises carried out in the central and southern regions of the GoM and an additional cruise that covered the entire coastal-ocean region. The new proposed boundaries were instrumental in clarifying the dynamics of surface waters. Of note, GCW on the western side of the GoM is not formed from the mixing of CSW and SUW but by the mixing of remnant CSW with TACW. In winter, a remnant of CSW mixed with GCW, and the biogeochemical composition of surface waters was affected, as observed from an increase in nitrate and DIC concentrations and positive AOU values. CSW was mainly detected at the surface during summer with negative AOU values, low DIC values, and almost undetectable nitrate concentrations. The presence or absence of CSW modulated the depth of the nitracline and likely influenced primary productivity.
Volume
225
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ingeniería oceanográfica Oceanografía, Hidrología, Recursos hídricos Biología marina, Biología de agua dulce, Limnología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85116875067
Source
Journal of Marine Systems
ISSN of the container
09247963
Sponsor(s)
Jose Martin Hernandez Ayon reports financial support, administrative support, equipment, drugs, or supplies, and travel were provided by National Council on Science and Technology. Leticia Barbero reports financial support, administrative support, equipment, drugs, or supplies, and travel were provided by NOAA Ocean Acidification Program. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their positive criticisms and comments that helped us improve the manuscript significantly. The study was funded by the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology – Mexican Ministry of Energy – Hydrocarbon Fund [project 201441 ]. This is a contribution of the Gulf of Mexico Research Consortium (CIGoM) . We acknowledge PEMEX's specific request to the Hydrocarbon Fund to address the environmental effects of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, LB received support from the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program . This research was carried out in part under the auspices of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) , a Cooperative Institute of the University of Miami and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , cooperative agreement # NA20OAR4320472
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus