Influence of Bass Strait water on the Tasman Sea thermocline

Abstract

Volumetric analysis of the Tasman Sea Central Water for different temperatures and salinities was used to determine the degree of influence of the seasonal outflow from Bass Strait on the observed strong positive anomalies in the Tasman Sea thermocline. The absence of a systematic decrease of salinity and Bass Strait Water content away from the coast suggests that the observed high-salinity anomalies are not entirely manifestations of Bass Strait Water alone and that some local processes may be involved in modifying the water properties. It is suggested that the seasonal Bass Strait Water intrusions may act as a trigger to overturn the environment, entraining high-salinity water from the upper layers by double-diffusive convection.