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Hydrodynamic modelling of Port Foster, Deception Island, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 December 2017

Daniel Figueiredo ,
Aires Dos Santos ,
Marcos Mateus  and
Ligia Pinto
Daniel Figueiredo*
Affiliation:
MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
Aires Dos Santos
Affiliation:
MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
Marcos Mateus
Affiliation:
MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
Ligia Pinto
Affiliation:
MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal
*
*d.m.figueiredo@uu.nl
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Abstract

Over the last decade, the Antarctic continent has been the object of intensive scientific programmes. However, the emphasis of these studies rarely focuses on the Antarctic as a source of potential elements such as mercury. The release of mercury to the environment is known to occur at Deception Island, associated with volcanic activity. In this study, a 3D hydrodynamic model was used to assess the role of water circulation on the dispersion of released mercury. Sea level variation and tidal circulation data were obtained. Residence time was calculated using two different approaches. Internal tide generation in summer and winter were recognized and the barotropic tidal components obtained. Lagrangian tracers were used to depict particle circulation (simulating particulate mercury) in a three month summer simulation for barotropic and baroclinic conditions. The results show that particles accumulate in the northern and western parts of the bay. It is acknowledged that the results of the 3D model are associated with a non-negligible uncertainty, which can only be reduced with an ongoing commitment to monitoring. The findings of this study indicate that mercury accumulation is occurring in Port Foster (Deception Island), which is a potential threat to the local ecosystem.

Keywords

circulationinternal wavesmercuryNeptune’s Bellowsstratificationtidal model
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 115 - 124
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Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2017 

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