Examining Lagrangian surface transport during a coastal upwelling in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea

We employ in-situ surface drifters and satellite derived sea surface temperature data to examine the impact that an upwelling event may have on mixing and Lagrangian transport of surrounding surface waters. The test area is located near the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland where easterly winds are known to trigger intense coastal upwellings. The analysis is based on the comparison of motions of three drifters that follow the currents in the uppermost layer with a thickness of 2 m with MODIS-based sea surface temperature data and high-quality open sea wind time series. The presence of an upwelling event superseded the classic Ekman-type drift of the surface layer and considerably slowed down the average speed of surface currents in the region affected by the upwelled cold water jet and its filaments. The drifters tended to stay amidst the surrounding surface waters. The properties of mixing were evaluated using the daily rate of temperature change along several transects. The upwelled cooler water largely kept its identity during almost the entire duration of the upwelling event. Intense mixing started at a later stage of the upwelling and continued after the end of the event when the winds that have driven the entire process began to subside.