Collaborative Research: Boundary Current Control of Upwelling in Southern Drake Passage: Whither Weddies?

中尺度过程(最长可达100公里)是南极边缘水域与大南大洋之间耦合的重要组成部分，但在这些空间和时间尺度上的观测资料很少。南极半岛的尖端是一个独特的动态环境，了解大洋流与当地地形特征的相互作用以及物理和生物地球化学过程之间的耦合如何导致该地区低生产力的南极表层水(ASW)在与韦德尔海涡旋混合后转变为高生产力的ASW，这是有意义的。通过将高分辨率的现场海洋滑翔机观测与地表流动的遥感特性以及长期历史数据集相结合，这些研究人员将推断出ACC锋面结构和混合层动力学的长期变化。该项目包括通过部署和驾驶一对海洋滑翔机，在15周内监测德雷克海峡南部的锋面，这些滑翔机将收集大约1000个温度、盐度、溶解氧、荧光和光学反向散射的剖面。德雷克海峡南部的中尺度变率至少影响着地球-S气候系统的三个方面：南大洋、S经向翻转环流、二氧化碳的海气交换和南大洋生态系统的生产力。这些过程对于模拟S的地球气候以及整个社会都很重要。

Mesoscale processes (~ length scales of up to 100km) are an essential ingredient of the coupling between the waters of the Antarctic margins and the greater Southern Ocean, yet there is a paucity of observations at these space and time scales. The tip of the Antarctic Peninsula is a unique and dynamic environment, and it is of interest to understand how the interaction of large currents with local topographic features and the coupling between physical and biogeochemical processes lead to the transformation of low productivity Antarctic Surface Water (ASW) to high productivity ASW in this region, following admixture with Weddell Sea eddies. By combining high resolution in situ ocean glider observations with remotely-sensed properties of the surface flow, as well as long-term historical data sets, these investigators will infer long-term changes in the frontal structure and mixed layer dynamics of the ACC. The project involves monitoring the fronts in southern Drake Passage over a period of 15 weeks by deploying and piloting a pair of ocean gliders that will collect approximately 1000 profiles of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence and optical backscatter. Mesoscale variability in southern Drake Passage influences at least three aspects of Earth?s climate system: the Southern Ocean?s meridional overturning circulation (MOC), air-sea exchange of CO2 and the productivity of the Southern Ocean ecosystems. These processes are of importance to simulating Earth?s climate, and thus to society in general