Fjord circulation permits a persistent subsurface water mass in a long, deep mid-latitude inlet

Abstract

Fjords are deep nearshore zones that connect watersheds and oceans, typically behaving as an estuary. In some fjords, strong katabatic winds in winter (also known as Arctic outflow wind events) can lead to cooling and reoxygenation of subsurface waters, with effects lasting until the following autumn, as observed in 2019 in Bute Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. We used high-resolution, three-dimensional ocean model summer simulations to investigate the mechanisms allowing for the persistence of these cool, oxygen-rich subsurface conditions in Bute Inlet. The slow residual circulation underneath the brackish outflow (and consequent slow advection) in this long, deep fjord is a main reason why the cold subsurface water mass stays in place until conditions change in autumn (i.e., start of stronger wind mixing and reduced freshwater forcing). Another mechanism is a positive feedback provided by the presence of this subsurface water mass, since it further reduces the already weak residual circulation. These findings are applicable to any similar long, deep fjord that experiences katabatic winds in winter, and they could have implications not only for the preservation of water masses but other possible subsurface features (e.g., pollutant spills, planktonic larvae). Furthermore, the identification of mechanisms that permit persistent cold and oxygenated conditions is key to understanding potential areas of ecological refugia in a warming and deoxygenating ocean.