Ross Gyre
Circulating system of ocean currents in the Ross Sea / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Ross Gyre is one of three gyres that exists within the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, the others being the Weddell Gyre and Balleny Gyre. The Ross Gyre is located north of the Ross Sea, and rotates clockwise. The gyre is formed by interactions between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Antarctic Continental Shelf. The Ross Gyre is bounded by the Polar Front of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to the north, the Antarctic Slope Current to the south, the Balleny Gyre to the west, and a variable boundary to the east from semiannual changes in sea surface height (SSH) in the Amundsen Sea.[1][2] Circulation in the Ross Gyre has been estimated to be 20 ± 5 Sverdrup (Sv)[3] and plays a large role in heat exchange in this region.[4]
The salinity,[5] nutrient,[6] and carbon[6] patterns in the gyre are related to seasonal ice cover and freshwater input.
Antarctic toothfish,[7] orcas,[8] Adélie penguins,[9] Antarctic krill,[10] Salpidae,[10] Slender-billed prion[11] and many other seabirds[11] spend part of their lives in the Ross Gyre.
Climate change predictions anticipate a strengthening of the gyre's circulation which would increase shelf ice melt[12] and slowdown deep water formation.[13]