Analysis of Interannual Variations in the Upper Ocean Heat Transport and Storage in the Western North Atlantic Ocean

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

0095688/Kelly This project will analyze the transport and storage of heat in the upper ocean in the western North Atlantic. A particular effort will be made to determine the interannual variability of these quantities and identify the mechanisms responsible. The project will be based on historical data and use both in situ measurements and satellite-derived surface fields. The work will examine the roles of both surface buoyancy forcing and advective heat transport, focusing on the Gulf Stream and the adjacent recirculations. Goals include developing a better understanding of the relations between variations in circulation and in sea-surface temperature, in sea-surface height and in heat storage, and between anomalies in heat storage and in sea-surface temperature. The work will provide a better understanding of an important part of the climate system, the transport of heat between low and high latitudes by the ocean in the North Atlantic. It will also provide an observational baseline against which ocean and climate models can be tested.