Title Water circulation and transport time scales in the Beagle Channel, southernmost tip of South America
Authors Cucco, Andrea ; Martin, Jacobo ; Quattrocchi, Giovanni ; Fenco, Harold ; Umgiesser, Georg ; Fernández, Daniel Alfredo
DOI 10.3390/jmse10070941
Full Text Download
Is Part of Journal of marine science and engineering.. Basel : MDPI AG. 2022, vol. 10, iss. 7, art. no. 941, p. 1-32.. eISSN 2077-1312
Keywords [eng] Beagle Channel ; residence times ; water circulation ; oceanography ; numerical modeling
Abstract [eng] The Beagle Channel is a long and narrow interoceanic passage within the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the southernmost tip of South America. A high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic model based on the finite elements method was applied to investigate the residual circulation, water fluxes and transport time scales inside this channel. Numerical solutions were analyzed at seasonal time scale and the model results compared with observed ocean data. The circulation pattern is characterized by a west-to-east residual flow with low intensity and low seasonal variability. The water fluxes through the channel were estimated to be, on average, around 12,700 m3/s, with inflow through its western entrance and eastwards outflow mainly through the Mackinlay Strait. The water residence times vary seasonally with basin averages between 36 and 43 days and maximum values between 53 and 95 days. The results provide an overview of the hydrodynamics and water residence times in the Beagle Channel, a unique ecosystem threatened by recent anthropogenic pressures and climate change.
Published Basel : MDPI AG
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2022
CC license CC license description