Collaborative Research: Particulate Organic Carbon Export off the Antarctic Peninsula by Nonlinear Mesoscale Eddies and Wind Forcing

南大洋占全球海洋二氧化碳吸收总量的很大一部分。南大洋也是独一无二的，因为它环绕着地球，为深层次、跨盆地的交换提供了通道。以前的研究表明，颗粒有机碳(POC；固定有机物)在向近海迁移之前，会在多产的南极海域周围季节性积聚。该项目将成为更好地量化南极半岛周围POC出口的一步，并更好地了解更大的南大洋碳循环。该项目将通过支持研究生和本科生来促进教育。将以一致和系统的方式生成关于近海运输路径和POC变异性的新数据集，并将提供给科学界。这项提议将审查南极半岛近海颗粒有机碳(POC)的近海输出，从靠近海岸的高积累区到近海区域。我们假设，风驱动的地面Ekman输送和由非线性中尺度涡旋输送对POC的离岸输出都有重要的贡献。具体地说，该项目将(1)确定南极半岛外POC增强积累的地区；(2)通过非线性中尺度涡旋和表层Ekman层中的风，量化近海输送的时空变异性；以及(3)将近海输送的估计与远离海岸的POC分布进行比较，以确定近海输出沿海水和POC的最佳输送路径或热点。这项研究将利用长达十年的POC卫星观测，算法基于现场数据、海洋矢量风、涡动运动和传播特征，基于高度计数据，以及高分辨率涡旋分辨率海洋模型和海冰模型的结果。这项研究将重点放在夏季的南极半岛，在卫星数据可用性高的情况下，云/海冰覆盖减少。

The Southern Ocean accounts for a large fraction of the global ocean CO2 uptake. The Southern Ocean is also unique because it encircles the globe, providing pathways for deep, inter-basin exchange. Previous studies have shown that particulate organic carbon (POC; fixed organic matter) seasonally builds up around the productive Antarctic seas before moving off-shore. The project will serve as a step toward better quantifying the export of POC from around the Antarctic Peninsula and better understanding the larger Southern Ocean carbon cycle. The project will promote education by supporting graduate and undergraduate students. New data sets on offshore transport pathways and POC variability will be generated in a consistent and systematic manner, and will be available to the scientific community.This proposal will examine the offshore export of particulate organic carbon (POC) off the Antarctic Peninsula, from areas of high accumulation near the coast to areas offshore. We hypothesize that both wind-driven surface Ekman transport and transport by nonlinear mesoscale eddies can make significant contributions to the offshore export of POC. Specifically, the project will (1) identify areas of enhanced accumulation of POC off the Antarctic Peninsula; (2) quantify spatial and temporal variability in offshore transport by nonlinear mesoscale eddies and by winds in a surface Ekman layer; and (3) compare the estimates of offshore transport to the POC distribution away from the coast to identify preferred transport pathways or hotspots for offshore export of coastal water and POC off the Peninsula. This study will utilize decade-long satellite observations of POC based on algorithms validated against in situ data, ocean vector winds, eddy kinematic and propagation characteristics based on altimeter data, and results from a high resolution eddy resolving ocean model coupled to a sea ice model. The study will focus on the Antarctic Peninsula during summer, when reduced cloud/sea ice cover when satellite data availability is high.