2023-2024 USAP Field Season
Project Detail Project TitleHigh-resolution underway air-sea observations in Drake Passage for climate science Summary
Event Number:
Program Director:
ASC POC/Implementer: Principal Investigator(s)
Dr. Janet Sprintall
Project Web Site: Location
Supporting Stations: ARSV Laurence M. Gould DescriptionOn frequent crossings of the Drake Passage by the US Antarctic vessel ARSV Laurence M. Gould (LMG), a range of underway measurements are taken. These data represent one of the few repeating annual shipboard measurements in the Southern Ocean, with close to two decades of data now available. The primary science objectives of this project are to continue to analyze the Drake Passage time series. In collaboration with Chereskin (O-317-L), this project continues a long-term study of ocean properties and variability in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) utilizing repeat transects across the Drake Passage from Punta Arenas, Chile to Palmer Station. This aspect of the project measures the seasonal to interannual variability of upper-ocean temperature and geostrophic transport through the Drake Passage with closely spaced eXpendable BathyThermograph (XBT) deployments. Field Season OverviewUnderway XBT measurements will be conducted on six LMG cruises during the 2023-2024 season. Approximately 70 XBTs are dropped per crossing. The LMG personnel and volunteers hand-launch the XBTs at predetermined locations. At the end of each transect cruise, data thumb drives containing the XBT data, TSG, met, and navigation data are mailed to the PI. |