Collaborative Research: Repeat Observations by Gliders in the Equatorial Region (ROGER)

本项目的目标是量化太平洋赤道锋和赤道潜流（EUC）的位置和强度的变化，以及加拉帕戈斯群岛周围的气流分区。 实地工作将包括三个持续的高分辨率滑翔机断面，以评估赤道流系统的变化，包括加拉帕戈斯群岛对EUC的阻碍。 93 W处的一个剖面将代表EUC和群岛以西的赤道锋，将该剖面的北方和南端连接到群岛的两个剖面将量化EUC如何划分为路径。 使用四架滑翔机，每10天重复一次每一部分，因此在20天的周期内几乎没有解决热带不稳定波的变化。 配备CTD和ADP的喷雾滑翔机将每3小时飞行500米，在潜水周期中覆盖3公里。 科学分析，包括使用新的高分辨率模型对观测结果进行解释，将侧重于量化赤道海流系统从季节到星期的时间演变，直至10公里的水平尺度。 将对物质、热量和盐的水平通量进行估算。 将确定EUC的途径。 观测结果将与赤道流系统的现有数值模式和正在进行的赤道太平洋数据同化分析进行比较和分析。更广泛的影响现有的观测结果还不能充分描述赤道流系统或EUC终端的次中尺度结构和变率，这仍然是限制模型和理解世界上最具活力的生态系统之一的主要限制。 拟议的系统和持续观测方案将产生数据，用于热带太平洋的状态估计，遵循推荐的过程研究最佳做法，从一开始就将模型与观测相结合，产生适合模型验证的质量控制数据集，并鼓励广泛使用数据。 每个机构的一名研究生将利用这些数据，以增加东赤道太平洋测量和分析方面的科学专门知识。 研究结果将在国家和国际会议上以及同行评审的期刊上广泛传播。 将编制一个适合公众使用的关于EUC动态的维基百科网页，并编制一份EUC海洋学杂志的观测历史。 与厄瓜多尔海洋学家的合作将对他们进行滑翔机操作和滑翔机数据分析方面的培训。

Intellectual MeritThe objectives of this project are to quantify the variability in the position and strength of the Pacific Equatorial Front and Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC), and the partitioning of flow around the Galapagos Archipelago. The field work will consist of three sustained high-resolution glider transects to assess variability of the Equatorial Current System, including the obstruction of the EUC by the Galapagos Archipelago. A section at 93W will be representative of the EUC and equatorial front to the west of the Archipelago, and two sections connecting the northern and southern ends of this section to the Archipelago will quantify how the EUC is partitioned into pathways. Using four gliders, each section will be repeated every 10 days, thus barely resolving tropical instability wave variability at a period of 20 days. Spray gliders equipped with CTD and ADPs will profile to 500 m every 3 hours, covering 3 km during the dive cycle. Scientific analyses, including the interpretation of the observations using a new high-resolution model, will focus on quantifying the temporal evolution on scales from seasons to weeks in the Equatorial Current System down to horizontal scales of 10 km. Estimates will be made of horizontal fluxes of mass, heat, and salt. The pathway of the EUC will be determined. Observations will be compared and analyzed with a hierarchy of extant numerical models of the Equatorial Current System and an ongoing data assimilation analysis of the Equatorial Pacific.Broader ImpactsAvailable observations do not yet provide an adequate description of the submesoscale structure and variability of the Equatorial Current System or the EUC termination, which remains a major limitation to constraining models and understanding one of the world's most dynamic ecosystems. The proposed systematic and sustained observational program will produce data to be used in a state estimate of the tropical Pacific following recommended best practices for process studies by integrating models with observations from the start, producing quality-controlled data sets suitable for model validation, and encouraging broad use of the data. One graduate student at each institution will work with these data to increase the scientific expertise in eastern equatorial Pacific measurements and analyses. Results will be broadly disseminated at national and international meetings and in peer-reviewed journals. A Wikipedia page on the dynamics of the EUC suitable for the general public and an observational history of the EUC for Oceanography magazine will be prepared. Collaboration with Equadorian oceanographers will train them in the glider operations and the analysis of the glider data.