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Hydrography of Marian Cove, King George Island, West Antarctica: implications for ice-proximal sedimentation during summer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2014

Kyu-Cheul Yoo ,
Min Kyung Lee ,
Ho Il Yoon ,
Yong Il Lee  and
Cheon Yoon Kang
Kyu-Cheul Yoo
Affiliation:
Korea Polar Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Incheon 406-840, Korea
Min Kyung Lee*
Affiliation:
Korea Polar Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Incheon 406-840, Korea
Ho Il Yoon
Affiliation:
Korea Polar Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Incheon 406-840, Korea
Yong Il Lee
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea
Cheon Yoon Kang
Affiliation:
Korea Polar Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Incheon 406-840, Korea
*
*corresponding author: mklee@kopri.re.kr
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Abstract

During the summer, from 1996–2000, vertical profiles of conductivity, temperature and transmissivity were obtained near the tidewater glacier of Marian Cove, King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula. The aims for the study were to determine the short-term variations of water structure due to hydrographic forcings and to understand sedimentation of suspended particulate matter in Antarctic fjord environments. Four distinct water layers were identified in the ice-proximal zone of the cove: i) a surface layer composed of cold and turbid meltwater, ii) a relatively warm Maxwell Bay inflow layer with characteristics of outer fjord water, iii) a turbid/cold mid-depth layer (40–70 m) originating from subglacial discharge, and iv) a deep layer comprised of the remnant winter water. The main factor influencing the characteristics of glacial meltwater layers and driving deposition of suspended particles in the cove is tidal forcing coupled with wind stress. The relatively small amount of meltwater discharge in Marian Cove yields low accumulation rates of non-biogenic sedimentary particles in the cove. The response to north-western and western winds, coupled with flood tide, may promote settling and sedimentation of suspended particles from turbid layers in the ice-proximal zone of the cove.

Keywords

Antarctic PeninsulaCTDTfjordsedimentwater structure
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 185 - 196
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2014 

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