Project Title

High-resolution underway air-sea observations in Drake Passage for climate science

Summary

Event Number:
O-260-L
NSF / OPP Award 2001646

Program Director:
Dr. David Porter

ASC POC/Implementer:
Rachel Shackelford / Bruce Felix

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Janet Sprintall
jsprintall@ucsd.edu
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Physical Oceanography Research Division
La Jolla, California

Project Web Site:
http://www.hrx.ucsd.edu

Location

Supporting Stations: ARSV Laurence M. Gould
Research Locations: Drake Passage

Description

On 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 Overview

This project continues the collection, quality control, and public dissemination of the XBT, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), and other underway data on the ARSV Laurence M. Gould. For 2021-2022, Drake Passage surveys will be supported outside of foreign Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) on two crossings.