Articles | Volume 21, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-643-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-21-643-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Mar 2025
Research article |
| 14 Mar 2025
| 14 Mar 2025
The influence of a submarine canyon on the wind-driven downwelling circulation over the continental shelf
Pedro A. Figueroa
Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile
Gonzalo S. Saldías
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile
Centro de Investigación Oceanográfica COPAS Coastal, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
Susan E. Allen
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Macarena Díaz-Astudillo, Manuel Castillo, Pedro A. Figueroa, Leonardo R. Castro, Ramiro Riquelme-Bugueño, Iván Pérez-Santos, Oscar Pizarro, and Gonzalo S. Saldías
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-417, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-417, 2025
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Submarine canyons are known hotspots of marine productivity and biodiversity, but we don’t fully understand why. We studied a submarine canyon located in central Chile and found that it’s a highly dynamic environment in both space and time. We think that the alternating currents and the contrasting distribution of zooplankton within the canyon might interact to promote zooplankton retention. Our results help to explain why submarine canyons host such high zooplankton diversity and abundance.
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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This study examines how variability in Pacific source waters influences the biogeochemistry of the Salish Sea. Using model simulations and observations, we traced the origins and properties of inflowing water and quantified the roles of circulation and property variability in shaping fluxes of oxygen, nutrients, and carbonate system tracers. These findings highlight key drivers of interannual change and their relevance under a changing climate.
Macarena Díaz-Astudillo, Manuel Castillo, Pedro A. Figueroa, Leonardo R. Castro, Ramiro Riquelme-Bugueño, Iván Pérez-Santos, Oscar Pizarro, and Gonzalo S. Saldías
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-417, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-417, 2025
Short summary
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Submarine canyons are known hotspots of marine productivity and biodiversity, but we don’t fully understand why. We studied a submarine canyon located in central Chile and found that it’s a highly dynamic environment in both space and time. We think that the alternating currents and the contrasting distribution of zooplankton within the canyon might interact to promote zooplankton retention. Our results help to explain why submarine canyons host such high zooplankton diversity and abundance.
Laura Bianucci, Jennifer M. Jackson, Susan E. Allen, Maxim V. Krassovski, Ian J. W. Giesbrecht, and Wendy C. Callendar
Ocean Sci., 20, 293–306, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-293-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-293-2024, 2024
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While the deeper waters in the coastal ocean show signs of climate-change-induced warming and deoxygenation, some fjords can keep cool and oxygenated waters in the subsurface. We use a model to investigate how these subsurface waters created during winter can linger all summer in Bute Inlet, Canada. We found two main mechanisms that make this fjord retentive: the typical slow subsurface circulation in such a deep, long fjord and the further speed reduction when the cold waters are present.
Julio Salcedo-Castro, Antonio Olita, Freddy Saavedra, Gonzalo S. Saldías, Raúl C. Cruz-Gómez, and Cristian D. De la Torre Martínez
Ocean Sci., 19, 1687–1703, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1687-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1687-2023, 2023
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Considering the relevance and impact of river discharges on the coastal environment, it is necessary to understand the processes associated with river plume dynamics in different regions and at different scales. Modeling studies focused on the eastern Pacific coast under the influence of the Humboldt Current are scarce. Here, we conduct for the first time an interannual modeling study of two river plumes off central Chile and discuss their characteristics.
Tereza Jarníková, Elise M. Olson, Susan E. Allen, Debby Ianson, and Karyn D. Suchy
Ocean Sci., 18, 1451–1475, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-1451-2022, 2022
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Understanding drivers of phytoplankton biomass in dynamic coastal regions is key to predicting present and future ecosystem functioning. Using a clustering-based method, we objectively determined biophysical provinces in a complex estuarine sea. The Salish Sea contains three major distinct provinces where phytoplankton dynamics are controlled by diverse stratification regimes. Our method is simple to implement and broadly applicable for identifying structure in large model-derived datasets.
Ben Moore-Maley and Susan E. Allen
Ocean Sci., 18, 143–167, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-143-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-143-2022, 2022
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Inland seas are critical habitats for globally important fisheries, and the local food webs that support these fisheries are often limited by surface nutrient availability. In the Strait of Georgia, which supports several key northern Pacific fisheries, we identify wind-driven upwelling as a dominant source of summer surface nutrients using a high-resolution coupled ecosystem model. This newly identified underlying mechanism will inform interpretations of ecosystem variability in the region.
Benjamin L. Moore-Maley, Debby Ianson, and Susan E. Allen
Biogeosciences, 15, 3743–3760, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3743-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3743-2018, 2018
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Estuaries are vulnerable to ocean acidification, but present-day estuarine pH and aragonite saturation state variability are larger than in the open ocean. Using a numerical model of a large estuary and data from its primary river, we find that changes in river alkalinity relative to river carbon may determine a small but significant portion of this variability, while the majority is controlled by photosynthesis/respiration. Future watershed changes may shift the river alkalinity–carbon balance.
J. M. Spurgin and S. E. Allen
Ocean Sci., 10, 799–819, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-10-799-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-10-799-2014, 2014
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Here, we develop and run a high resolution ocean model of Jones Sound from 2003–2016 and characterize circulation into, out of, and within the sound as well as associated sea ice and productivity cycles. Atmospheric and ocean warming drive sea ice decline, which enhance biological productivity due to the increased light availability. These results highlight the utility of high resolution models in simulating complex waterways and the need for sustained oceanographic measurements in the sound.
Clovis Thouvenin-Masson, Jacqueline Boutin, Vincent Échevin, Alban Lazar, and Jean-Luc Vergely
Ocean Sci., 20, 1547–1566, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1547-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1547-2024, 2024
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We focus on understanding the impact of river runoff and precipitation on sea surface salinity (SSS) in the eastern North Tropical Atlantic (e-NTA) region off northwestern Africa. By analyzing regional simulations and observational data, we find that river flows significantly influence SSS variability, particularly after the rainy season. Our findings underscore that a main source of uncertainty representing SSS variability in this region is from river runoff estimates.
Stefan Hagemann, Thao Thi Nguyen, and Ha Thi Minh Ho-Hagemann
Ocean Sci., 20, 1457–1478, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1457-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1457-2024, 2024
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We have developed a methodology for the bias correction of simulated river runoff to force ocean models in which low, medium, and high discharges are corrected once separated at the coast. We show that the bias correction generally leads to an improved representation of river runoff in Europe. The methodology is suitable for model regions with a sufficiently high coverage of discharge observations, and it can be applied to river runoff based on climate hindcasts or climate change simulations.
Kunal Madkaiker, Ambarukhana D. Rao, and Sudheer Joseph
Ocean Sci., 20, 1167–1185, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1167-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1167-2024, 2024
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Using a high-resolution model, we estimated the volume, freshwater, and heat transports along Indian coasts. Affected by coastal currents, transport along the eastern coast is highly seasonal, and the western coast is impacted by intraseasonal oscillations. Coastal currents and equatorial forcing determine the relation between NHT and net heat flux in dissipating heat in coastal waters. The north Indian Ocean functions as a heat source or sink based on seasonal flow of meridional heat transport.
Marine Herrmann, Thai To Duy, and Patrick Marsaleix
Ocean Sci., 20, 1013–1033, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1013-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-1013-2024, 2024
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In summer, deep, cold waters rise to the surface along and off the Vietnamese coast. This upwelling of water lifts nutrients, inducing biological activity that is important for fishery resources. Strong tides occur on the shelf off the Mekong Delta. By increasing the mixing of ocean waters and modifying currents, they are a major factor in the development of upwelling on the shelf, accounting for ~75 % of its average summer intensity.
Mingyu Li, Alessandro Stocchino, Zhongya Cai, and Tingting Zu
Ocean Sci., 20, 931–944, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-931-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-931-2024, 2024
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In this study, we explored how water accumulates in a coastal estuary, a key factor affecting the estuary's environmental health and ecosystem. We revealed significant bottom accumulations influenced by plume fronts and velocity convergence, with notable seasonal variability. By analyzing trajectories, we identified subregions with distinct accumulation patterns and examined their interconnections, highlighting the substantial impact of tides and river discharge on these dynamics.
Robert Lepper, Leon Jänicke, Ingo Hache, Christian Jordan, and Frank Kösters
Ocean Sci., 20, 711–723, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-711-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-711-2024, 2024
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Most coastal environments are sheltered by tidal flats and salt marshes. These habitats are threatened from drowning under sea level rise. Contrary to expectation, recent analyses in the Wadden Sea showed that tidal flats can accrete faster than sea level rise. We found that this phenomenon was facilitated by the nonlinear link between tidal characteristics and coastal bathymetry evolution. This link caused local and regional tidal adaptation with sharp increase–decrease edges at the coast.
Lin Lin, Hans von Storch, and Yang Ding
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1332, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1332, 2024
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The Qingdao cold water mass significantly influences aquaculture in China since it is situated near the Chinese coastline. Based on 3-dimensional numerical simulation results, we find a clockwise current structure that exists around the Qingdao cold water mass; furthermore, we analyze the relationship between the clockwise current with the Qingdao cold water temperature and salinity.
Fangjing Deng, Feiyu Jia, Rui Shi, Shuwen Zhang, Qiang Lian, Xiaolong Zong, and Zhaoyun Chen
Ocean Sci., 20, 499–519, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-499-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-499-2024, 2024
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Southwesterly winds impact cross-estuary flows by amplifying the eddy viscosity component during smaller tides. Moreover, they modify along-estuary gravitational circulation by diminishing both the barotropic and baroclinic components. Stratification results in contrasting sheared flows, distinguished by different dominant components compared to destratified conditions. Additionally, the eddy viscosity component is governed by various subcomponents in diverse stratified waters.
Laura Bianucci, Jennifer M. Jackson, Susan E. Allen, Maxim V. Krassovski, Ian J. W. Giesbrecht, and Wendy C. Callendar
Ocean Sci., 20, 293–306, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-293-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-293-2024, 2024
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While the deeper waters in the coastal ocean show signs of climate-change-induced warming and deoxygenation, some fjords can keep cool and oxygenated waters in the subsurface. We use a model to investigate how these subsurface waters created during winter can linger all summer in Bute Inlet, Canada. We found two main mechanisms that make this fjord retentive: the typical slow subsurface circulation in such a deep, long fjord and the further speed reduction when the cold waters are present.
Zhongyuan Lin, Guang Zhang, Huazhi Zou, and Wenping Gong
Ocean Sci., 20, 181–199, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-181-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-181-2024, 2024
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From 2021 to 2022, a particular sub-estuary (East River estuary) suffered greatly from an enhanced salt intrusion. We conducted observation analysis, numerical simulations, and analytical solution to unravel the underlying mechanisms. This study is of help in the investigation of salt dynamics in sub-estuaries connected to main estuaries and of implications for mitigating salt intrusion problems in the regions.
Elina Miettunen, Laura Tuomi, Antti Westerlund, Hedi Kanarik, and Kai Myrberg
Ocean Sci., 20, 69–83, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-69-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-69-2024, 2024
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We studied circulation and transports in the Archipelago Sea (in the Baltic Sea) with a high-resolution hydrodynamic model. Transport dynamics show different variabilities in the north and south, so no single transect can represent transport through the whole area in all cases. The net transport in the surface layer is southward and follows the alignment of the deeper channels. In the lower layer, the net transport is southward in the northern part of the area and northward in the southern part.
Julio Salcedo-Castro, Antonio Olita, Freddy Saavedra, Gonzalo S. Saldías, Raúl C. Cruz-Gómez, and Cristian D. De la Torre Martínez
Ocean Sci., 19, 1687–1703, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1687-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1687-2023, 2023
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Considering the relevance and impact of river discharges on the coastal environment, it is necessary to understand the processes associated with river plume dynamics in different regions and at different scales. Modeling studies focused on the eastern Pacific coast under the influence of the Humboldt Current are scarce. Here, we conduct for the first time an interannual modeling study of two river plumes off central Chile and discuss their characteristics.
Qiyan Ji, Lei Han, Lifang Jiang, Yuting Zhang, Minghong Xie, and Yu Liu
Ocean Sci., 19, 1561–1578, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1561-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1561-2023, 2023
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Accurate wave forecasts are essential to marine engineering safety. The research designs a model with combined signal decomposition and multiple neural network algorithms to predict wave parameters. The hybrid wave prediction model has good robustness and generalization ability. The contribution of the various algorithms to the model prediction skill was analyzed by the ablation experiments. This work provides a neoteric view of marine element forecasting based on artificial intelligence.
Cited articles
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Short summary
Submarine canyons are topographic features found along the continental slope worldwide. Here we use numerical simulations to study how a submarine canyon influences the circulation near the coast when winds moving poleward influence the region. Our results show that submarine canyons modify the circulation near the coast, causing strong velocities perpendicular to the coast. These changes can trap particles inside the canyon, an important mechanism to explain its role as a biological hotspot.
Submarine canyons are topographic features found along the continental slope worldwide. Here we...
