THE MAGNITUDE OF UPPER OCEAN MIXING VARIES STRONGLY IN SPACE AND TIME ACROSS THE GLOBAL OCEANS. WE HAVE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENERAL FORCINGS THAT PROVIDE ENERGY FOR MIXING IN THE UPPER OCEAN INCLUDING ENERGY INPUT FROM THE WINDS; FRONTAL VARIABILITY; DAMPENING OF MIXING FROM BUOYANCY SUPPRESSION DUE TO WARMING OF THE OCEAN SURFACE AND ITS REVERSE INCREASED MIXING DUE TO COOLING AND CONVECTION AT THE OCEAN SURFACE; AND WAVE-INDUCED MIXING (INCLUDING LANGMUIR CIRCULATIONS). THE PROFILE OF MIXING RELATING TO THESE GENERAL FORCINGS PARTICULARLY IN THE EFFECTS OF THE SUBMESOSCALE FRONTAL ACTIVITY AND WAVE-INDUCED MIXING IS STILL INCOMPLETE. HOWEVER ALTHOUGH WE CURRENTLY HAVE SATELLITE-DERIVED GLOBAL DATA FIELDS OF THE SURFACE MOMENTUM HEAT AND MOISTURE FLUXES SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY FRONTS AND WAVE INFORMATION THERE HAS SO FAR NOT BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT TO ATTEMPT TO COMBINE THIS INFORMATION WITH OUR THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING AND IN SITU OBSERVATIONS OF MIXING MAGNITUDES TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT IS POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE AN ESTIMATION OF THE TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF MIXING AT A LEVEL OF ACCURACY THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR INCREASED SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING. THE SOUTHERN OCEAN MIXED LAYER IN PARTICULAR IS AN AREA OF GLOBAL CLIMATIC IMPORTANCE BUT ONE IN WHICH LARGE UNCERTAINTIES STILL REMAIN AS THE SOUTHERN OCEAN EXHIBITS LARGE BIASES IN MIXED LAYER DEPTHS IN MOST CLIMATE MODELS. THE MOC AS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF THE CLIMATE SYSTEM THAT CONNECTS THE EARTH'S OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF MIXING RATES ESPECIALLY IN THE SURFACE BOUNDARY LAYER PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GLOBAL MERIDIONAL OVERTURNING CIRCULATION WHICH IS CRUCIALLY MODIFIED BY OCEAN MASSES IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN AND IS FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF THE CLIMATE SYSTEM THAT CONNECTS THE EARTH'S OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE TRANSPORT OF HEAT FROM LOW TO HIGH LATITUDES AND ATMOSPHERIC CARBON INTO THE DEEP OCEAN. THE SOUTHERN OCEAN ALSO PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE GLOBAL OCEAN CARBON UPTAKE DUE IN PART TO THE ESTIMATED INCREASES OF SURFACE MIXING ATTRIBUTED TO THE STRONG WINDS IN THIS REGION. THE DEPTH AND STRENGTH OF MIXING IN THIS REGION STRONGLY AFFECTS THE UPPER OCEAN HEAT BUDGET. THUS THE SURFACE FORCING IN COMBINATION WITH MIXING REGULATES THE FLUX OF HEAT FRESHWATER CARBON AND NUTRIENTS BETWEEN THE SURFACE AND DEEP OCEAN. GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF MIXING IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN THE QUESTIONS STILL REMAINING REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MIXING PROFILES AND THE SURFACE FORCING IN THIS REGION AND OUR ABILITY TO ADDRESS THESE USING A COMBINATION OF SATELLITE AND MICROSTRUCTURE DATA WE PROPOSE TO USE A COMBINATION OF SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS OF SURFACE FLUXES AND WAVE AND SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE STATES AND IN SITU MICROSTRUCTURE MEASUREMENTS TO FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF UPPER OCEAN MIXING AND TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS OF THE SURFACE BUOYANCY AND MOMENTUM FLUXES CAN PROVIDE AN ESTIMATE OF THE UPPER OCEAN MIXING. WE WILL THEN USE SATELLITE DATA TO PROVIDE A TIME-VARYING SOUTHERN OCEAN ESTIMATE OF THE UPPER OCEAN MIXING WITH UNCERTAINTY INFORMATION. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY USING COLLOCATED SATELLITE-DERIVED SURFACE BUOYANCY AND MOMENTUM FLUXES SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS AND SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE WITH OUR EXTENSIVE MICROSTRUCTURE DATA IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN TO EVALUATE AND PARAMETERIZE THE STRUCTURE OF DISSIPATION IN THE OCEAN BOUNDARY LAYER. THIS PARAMETERIZATION WILL BE USED WITH SURFACE FORCING FROM THE SATELLITE DATA FIELDS TO PRODUCE A 15-YEAR CLIMATOLOGY OF MIXING IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN REGION. RESULTS WILL BE COMPARED WITH AN ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN MIXED LAYER DEPTHS FROM ARGO REPEAT PROFILES. IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THESE OBJECTIVES WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A TEAM WITH STRONG EXPERTISE IN THE SATELLITE PRODUCTS UPPER OCEAN MIXING MICROSTRUCTURE MEASUREMENTS AND ARGO DATA ANALYSIS.