Collaborative Research: North Atlantic Dynamics - Developing and Exploiting a Long-Term Cape Hatteras Gulf Stream Time Series

该项目根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。该项目将使用来自海洋和大气的大量现有数据源来确定哈特拉斯角附近从2004年到现在的墨西哥湾流的变化。所研究的墨西哥湾流变化的周期从一两天到年际不等。这些变化的可能原因将利用海洋和大气的测量来确定。对墨西哥湾流的描述将提供墨西哥湾流如何影响和受北大西洋海洋和大气环流影响的描述。该项目将探索气候变化的潜在影响，并探索利用哈特拉斯角湾流能源的可行性。该项目将支持一名博士后学者、两名研究生和一名本科生追求不同的项目目标。该研究将调查哈特拉斯角附近的墨西哥湾流变化的性质和原因，并探索墨西哥湾流如何影响北大西洋的海洋和大气过程，以及如何受其影响。这将通过再处理和分析高频雷达表面电流测量结果来完成，并将这些发现与辅助数据进行比较，以检验有关墨西哥湾流变异性控制和后果的假设。分析将包括在从事件尺度到年际尺度的时间尺度上检查墨西哥湾流的位置、路径、结构和分离位置。高频雷达数据将与以下数据进行比较：(i)原位和测高数据，（ii）夹竹桃数据，（iii）深西部边界流W线数据，（iv） RAPID线数据，(v)佛罗里达海峡运输电缆数据，以及（vi）冷热芯环的计数和轨迹。湾流特性还将与大气强迫变率进行比较，如NAO指数、急流位置、局地风应力和盆地尺度风应力旋度。该项目将从2004年以来收集的观测数据中得出墨西哥湾流的特征，并产生一个近乎实时更新的数据库。项目到期后，高频雷达测量将继续进行。此外，该项目将提供有关利用墨西哥湾流能源的可行性的信息。资助博士后1人，研究生2人，本科生1人。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 award is funded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2)This project will use a number of existing data sources from the ocean and from the atmosphere to determine variations of the Gulf Stream near Cape Hatteras from 2004 to the present time. The Gulf Stream variations to be studied range in periodicity from a day or two to interannual. Possible causes of these variations will be determined utilizing measurements from the ocean and the atmosphere. This characterization of the Gulf Stream will provide a description of how the Gulf Stream affects and is affected by ocean and atmospheric circulations in the North Atlantic. The project will explore potential influences from climate variability as well as explore the feasibility of harnessing energy from the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras. The project will support one post-doctoral scholar, two graduate students and one undergraduate student in the pursuit of various project objectives. The study will investigate the nature and causes of variability of the Gulf Stream near Cape Hatteras and explore how the Gulf Stream affects and is affected by oceanic and atmospheric processes in the North Atlantic. This will be done by reprocessing and analyzing HF radar surface current measurements and comparing these findings with ancillary data to test hypotheses about controls on and consequences of Gulf Stream variability. Analyses will consist of examining the position, path, structure, and location of separation of the Gulf Stream at temporal scales ranging from event-scale to interannual. The HF radar data will be compared to (i) in-situ and altimetry data, (ii) Oleander data, (iii) data from Line W of the Deep Western Boundary Current, (iv) data from the RAPID line, (v) cable data of transport at Florida Strait, and (vi) counts and trajectories of cold and warm core rings. Gulf Stream properties will also be compared to atmospheric forcing variability such as the NAO index, Jet Stream position, local wind stress, and basin-scale wind-stress curl. The project will derive Gulf Stream characteristics from observations collected since 2004 and result in a database updated in near real-time. Measurements with HF radar will continue after this project expires. Also, the project will provide information about the feasibility of harnessing energy from the Gulf Stream. The project will support one post-doctoral scholar, 2 graduate students and 1 undergraduate student.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.