Currents and transports of the Intra-Americas Sea and their seasonal to pentannual variability: Five years of ADCP measurements from the cruise liner Explorer of the Seas

作为为一艘游轮配备最先进的海洋学和大气科学实验室项目的一部分，皇家加勒比游轮“海洋探索者”号安装了两台安装在船体上的声学多普勒海流剖面仪。这使得该船能够在1000米的深度进行连续的速度测量。目前，海洋探索者号提供的速度数据集是在整个美洲内海沿着断面收集的五年测量数据。这些测量结果说明了北方加勒比流入与通过尤卡坦海峡流入墨西哥湾的气流和通过佛罗里达海峡流出的气流之间的联系，具有极大的潜力，可增进我们对该区域环流的了解。来自迈阿密大学的海洋学家将分析从海洋探测器收集的数据，以帮助提高对美洲内部海洋环流及其每月至五年一次的时间尺度变化的了解。通过构建时间序列和分析卫星数据和数值模型输出，PI将调查尤卡坦半岛和佛罗里达洋流输送的流入和流出的变化，以及它们与尤卡坦半岛通道深层逆流的联系。 该项目将支持对大量数据集的仔细处理、分析和传播，这些数据集将揭示有关美洲内海流量的几个基本的、未解决的科学问题。该项目的资金将为博士后学者提供培训和支持，并帮助推动物理海洋学代表性不足的早期职业科学家。

As part of a project to equip a cruise liner with state-of-the-art oceanographic and atmospheric science laboratories, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship, Explorer of the Seas, was fitted with two, hull-mounted, acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP). This enables the ship to take continuous velocity measurements to depths of 1000 meters. Currently, the velocity data set from the Explorer of the Seas represents five years of measurements collected along transects throughout the Intra-Americas Sea. These measurements illustrate the link between the northern Caribbean inflows with the flow into the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Channel and the outflow through Florida Straits and have enormous potential for improving our understanding of the circulation in this region. Oceanographers from the University of Miami will analyze the data collected from the Explorer of the Seas to help improve the understanding of the circulation of the Intra-America Seas and its variability on monthly to pentannual time scales. Through the construction of time series and analysis of satellite data and numerical model outputs, the PI will investigate the variability of the inflows and outflows of the Yucatan and Florida Currents transports, as well as their connection to deep flow reversals in the Yucatan Passage. This project will support the careful processing, analysis, and dissemination of a vast data set that will shed light on several fundamental, unsolved science questions about the flows of the Intra-Americas Sea. Funding from this project will provide training and support for a postdoctoral scholar as well as aid in advancing an early-career scientist from an under-represented group in physical oceanography.