Diagnosing Overturning and Water Mass Transformation in the Labrador Sea From Argo Floats

大西洋高纬度地区寒冷的咸水下沉并沿着海底扩散，这一过程被表面温暖的海水回流所平衡，被称为大西洋经向翻转环流（AMOC）。它在维持地球上扮演着重要的角色。美国的气候以及主要的海洋特性。拉布拉多海倾覆是AMOC的关键组成部分，但其幅度和变化难以准确测量。本研究将探讨浮子观测是否可以作为一种具有成本效益的方法来回答这些问题。该项目有可能加强和量化我们对拉布拉多海致密水地层与倾覆环流之间联系的理解，并为AMOC的持续采样提供改进的策略。该研究提供的信息将在年际和年代际时间尺度上提高对拉布拉多海翻转和输出的时空变异性的认识。一个有质量控制的数据集将在网上提供，并纳入本科和研究生课程。该项目还将支持一名博士后，并帮助他过渡到更长期的职位。拉布拉多海对AMOC的贡献相对未知，1900年代到2000年代之间的潜在变化仍然不确定。该项目的主要目标是量化拉布拉多海？使用分析浮动对AMOC的贡献。在初步分析中计算出的平均倾覆量与之前的估计一致，这表明浮标是研究拉布拉多海这些方面的可行数据集。该项目将成为未来几年了解AMOC和补充opsnap系泊数据的大型持续努力的一部分。在过去的二十年里，在拉布拉多海和边界洋流中的Argo和PALACE浮标收集了数据。Argo浮标在整个流域范围内提供季节和空间数据覆盖。20世纪90年代的PALACE浮标数据让我们有机会比较两个不同时期的拉布拉多海倾覆；90年代深对流增强，2000年代对流减弱。

The sinking of cold, saline water at high latitudes in the Atlantic Ocean and its spread along the sea floor, which is balanced by the return flow of warmer waters at the surface, is known as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). It plays an important role in maintaining Earth?s climate as well as key ocean properties. Labrador Sea overturning is a key component of AMOC, but its magnitude and variability has been difficult to measure accurately. This study will explore whether float observations can be used as a cost-effective way to answer such questions. The project has the potential to enhance and quantify our understanding of the connection between dense water formation and overturning circulation in the Labrador Sea and lead to an improved strategy for continued AMOC sampling. Information from the study will improve understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of Labrador Sea overturning and export on interannual and decadal timescales. A quality-controlled data set will be available online and incorporated into undergraduate and graduate classes. The project will also support a post doc and facilitate his transition to a more permanent position.The Labrador Sea's contribution to the AMOC is relatively unknown and the potential change between the 1900s and 2000s is still uncertain. The primary objective of the project is to quantify the Labrador Sea?s contribution to the AMOC using profiling floats. The mean overturning calculated in a preliminary analysis is in line with previous estimates, suggesting that floats are a viable dataset for examining these aspects of the Labrador Sea. The project will be part of a large ongoing effort to understand AMOC over the next few years and complement OSNAP moored data. Argo and PALACE floats in the Labrador Sea and boundary current have collected data for the past two decades. The Argo floats offer seasonal and spatial data coverage at the basin-wide scale. PALACE floats data from the 1990s allows the opportunity to compare Labrador Sea overturning from two different periods; one of enhanced deep convection in the 1990s, and weaker convection in the 2000s.