On the buoyant sub-surface salinity maxima in the Gulf of Riga

SummaryThermohaline structure in the Gulf of Riga (GoR) was investigated by a multi-platform measurement campaign in summer 2015. Stratification of the water column was mainly controlled by the temperature while salinity had only a minor contribution. Buoyant salinity maxima with variable strength were observed in the intermediate layer of the Gulf of Riga. The salinity maxima were likely formed by a simultaneous upwelling-downwelling event at the two opposite sides of the Irbe strait. The inflowing salty water did not reach the deeper (> 35 m) parts of the gulf and, therefore, the near-bottom layer of the gulf remained isolated throughout the summer. Thus, the lateral water exchange regime in the near bottom layer of the Gulf of Riga is more complicated than it was thought previously. We suggest that the occurrence of this type of water exchange resulting in a buoyant inflow and lack of lateral transport into the near-bottom layers might contribute to the rapid seasonal oxygen decline in the Gulf of Riga.