The Upper Ocean Circulation at Great Meteor Seamount. Part I: Structure of Density and Flow Fields

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Observations of the hydrography and currents at the Great Meteor Seamount are combined with a numerical model to investigate the three-dimensional structure of the flow regime at this seamount. Signatures of periodic and mean flow are separated and interpreted. Tidal forcing is the dominant process in this area, leading to internal wave generation, trapped waves, flow rectification, and a system of closed circulation cells (horizontal and vertical). Steep slopes and a flat summit plain lead to a previously unreported mixed layer thickness anomaly along the edge of the seamount. Observations alone are found insufficient to derive a complete picture of the circulation and water mass distribution. The model results will be used in Part II of this study to further investigate biologically relevant questions

The Upper Ocean Circulation at Great Meteor Seamount. Part II: Retention Potential of the Seamount Induced Circulation

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.The importance of tidal rectification and internal tide generation has been documented in Part I of this study. Passive tracers confirm the idea that there is an area above the seamount which is largely isolated from the surroundings. Lagrangian particle trajectories are used to test and quantify the potential for retention

The role of physical processes for biomass dispersion over submarine banks: a study at two locations in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.The effect of the circulation at Porcupine Bank and Rockall Bank, two submarine banks in the Northeast Atlantic, are investigated for implications for the marine ecosystem, using a combination of observations and results from numerical ocean circulation modeli simulations. Passive tracers confirm the idea that there exist areas over the banks which a isolated from its surroundings. Lagrangian particle trajectories are used to test and quantify the potential for retention. We find that passively advected organisms are more likely to remain in the near surface layers above the banks than actively migrating organisms, who might escape from the area. Finally, the response to extreme wether events is illustrated and typical time scales of retention are quantified

The influence of the Great Meteor Seamount on the distribution of phytoplankton

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.The influence of the Great Meteor Seamount on the distribution of phytoplankto