High-Resolution Underway Upper Ocean and Surface Atmospheric Observations in Drake Passage: Synergistic Measurements for Climate Science

Abstract

Recent and ongoing studies are highlighted that analyze the in situ underway upper ocean and surface atmospheric observations from frequently-repeated transects by the Antarctic Research and Supply Vessel Laurence M. Gould (LMG) in Drake Passage. High-resolution measurements of upper ocean temperature, salinity and velocity, along with concurrent shipboard meteorological, surface water CO2 and nutrient sampling have been routinely acquired aboard the LMG since the late 1990s. There are significant benefits and synergy of air-sea observations when they are measured at similar time and space scales from the same platform. The multi-year measurements have been used to examine seasonal and spatial variability in upper ocean heat content, Antarctic Circumpolar Current transport variability, eddy heat and momentum fluxes, frontal variability, validation of satellite and model-based air-sea fluxes, and the upper ocean response to climate variability. At present the LMG provides the only year-round shipboard air-sea measurements in the Southern Ocean. Collectively the measurements in Drake Passage have provided much insight as to the characteristics, mechanisms and impacts of the processes and changes that are occurring within the Southern Ocean.