The Northward Flow of Intermediate Water in the Benguela Current and Its Extension in the Eastern South Atlantic

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9528574 Richardson In this project, PIs will study the Benguela Current as it flows northward through the South Atlantic and across the equator. Specific objectives are to measure the flow of Intermediate Water that is carried into the South Atlantic by the Benguela-Agulhas system, and to trace its extension northwestward. RAFOS floats are designed to float at a given depth in the ocean, and to communicate with moored sound sources in a way that gives their location periodically from which velocities at that depth may be inferred. Thirty such floats will be deployed and tracked downstream of the Benguela Current at the level of the Intermediate Water (about 700 meters), and in several Agulhas eddies to estimate their contribution to the transport. The work will be carried out in collaboration with South African (Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) surveys) and German scientists (18 additional floats and two additional sound sources). The observations are expected to provide a visualization of the flow field and velocity statistics which will be applied to developing and validating models of the thermohaline circulation of the ocean.