Collaborative Research: Recent Changes in Shelfbreak Exchange on the Northeast Shelf: Process-Oriented Observations of Salinity Maximum Intrusions

该项目将研究美国东北部大陆架的变暖，并确定其与墨西哥湾流暖核环的关系。包括海洋观测站倡议（OOI）先锋阵列在内的几个来源的历史观测结果将被分析，以确定大陆架变暖与暖核环之间的联系。现场活动将包括由配备传感器的自主水下航行器进行观察，以观察控制温水和盐水侵入的动态过程。研究结果将有助于深入了解变暖事件是如何以及为什么发生在大陆架上的。新英格兰大陆架的变暖趋势对区域气候和当地商业渔业都有影响。该项目包括与商业渔业协会合作，并向当地渔业社区传播研究成果。该项目将使用实地观测和历史数据分析来检查已知的驱动美国东北部大陆架和暖核环之间交换的过程，以及与最近大陆架和斜坡地区变暖的关系。研究将重点放在斜斜盐度最大值和墨西哥湾流暖核环上。现场工作将在2020年和2021年的两次巡航中进行，将使用配备传感器的自主水下航行器（auv）来测量速度、温度、盐度、微观结构、浊度、叶绿素、荧光和彩色溶解有机物。观测结果将用于绘制一个或多个含盐侵入体的三维地图，并区分斜斜盐度最大值中双重扩散和湍流动力学的相对重要性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will examine warming of the continental shelf of the northeast US and determine the relationship to warm core rings from the Gulf Stream. Historical observations from several sources including the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Pioneer Array will be analyzed to determine the connection between shelf warming and warm core rings. A field campaign will include observations from autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with sensors to observe the dynamic processes that govern the warm and saline intrusions of water. The results will yield insights into how and why warming events occur on the continental shelf. The trend in warming on the New England shelf has implications for regional climate and local commercial fisheries. The project includes collaboration with the Commercial Fisheries Association and communication of research results to local fishing communities. This project will use field observations and analyses of historical data to examine process known to drive exchange between the shelf and warm core rings on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf and the relationship to recent warming on the shelf and slope region. The study will focus on the pycnocline salinity maximum and Gulf Stream warm core rings. The field work, which will take place during two cruises (in 2020 and 2021) will employ autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with sensors to profile velocity, temperature, salinity, microstructure, turbidity, chlorophyll, fluorescence, and colored dissolved organic matter. The observations will be used to produce three-dimensional maps of one or more saline intrusions and to distinguish between the relative importance of double diffusive and turbulent dynamics in the pycnocline salinity maximum.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.