WHOI PO

Title: A Decadal Perspective on the Northwest Atlantic: Slope Sea Variability and connections to recent observed trends

Abstract:
The Northwest Atlantic continental shelf and slope system has undergone rapid environmental change in recent decades, including pronounced warming, salinification, and deoxygenation. These changes have been linked to large-scale circulation adjustments in the subpolar gyre, characterized by enhanced Labrador Current retroflection and a northward shift of the Gulf Stream. However, the role of regional ocean dynamics within the Slope Sea in shaping hydrographic variability across the Northeast U.S. shelf and slope remains poorly understood.
We are revisiting the dynamics in the Slope Sea and its recirculation gyres using a high-resolution ocean model. Distinct dynamical and hydrographic states of the Slope Sea are found that exhibit consistencies with historic observations and recent trends. A set of Lagrangian experiments has been carried out to provide new insights circulation pathways and water-mass exchanges associated with these regimes.