ICM3 Analysis

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9818246WarrenThis proposal is a contribution the the AIMS (Analysis, Interpretation, Modeling, and Synthesis) phase of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE). During the WOCE Indian Ocean Survey, current meters were deployed across each of the three systems of deep western-boundary currents at Latitude 20 degrees South (adjacent to the eastern flanks of Madagascar, the Central Indian Ridge, and the Ninetyeast Ridge). CTD (Conductivity / Temperature / Depth) sections were occupied along the mooring lines during both deployment and recovery. The PI in this project will collaborate with scientists at TAMU and Oregon State University on the analysis of the joint current measurements and water property data. A calculation of the mean transport and time variations of the Circumpolar Deep Water in these currents will provide an estimate of the strength of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) in the Indian Ocean. Earlier indirect calculations have indicated that the MOC is anomalously large in the Indian Ocean relative to that in the Pacific, but early indications from the current meter records refute this. Near Madagascar, a surprising, strong southward flow at mid depths has been observed, and this anomaly needs to be carefully documented, along with its implications for the ocean-wide meridional overturning.