Temperature distribution related to shelf-sea fronts on the Patagonian Shelf

Abstract Hydrographic data taken from the fishery research ship Dr. Holmberg and an infrared image from the NOAA-6 satellite show the location of shelf-sea fronts over the Patagonian Shelf off the coast of Argentina. High tidal dissipation rates in this area [ Simpson and Bowers (1981) Deep-Sea Research , 28 , 727–738], intensified by headlands such as the Peninsula of Valdes, generate zones of enhanced vertical mixing in the near-shore waters, which lowers the sea-surface temperature. Shelf fronts separate this water from the seasonally stratified water offshore. The irregular sea-surface temperature pattern suggests the transfer of some of the cold mixed water into the upper layer of stratified water farther offshore, leading to the inference of a northeastward mean flow.