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Freshwater budget and salinity variability in the subpolar and subtropical gyres of the North Atlantic
Antragstellerin
Professorin Dr. Monika Rhein
Fachliche Zuordnung
Physik, Chemie und Biologie des Meeres
Förderung
Förderung von 2013 bis 2019
Projektkennung
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 198122929
Up to recent years, the study of trends and variability of the salinity (and freshwater) distributions was hampered by the lack of temporal and spatial resolution of the available observations (Wang DFG form 54.011 – 1/12 page 3 of 6 et al., 2010). With the onset of the Argo programme, the number of observed salinity profiles have significantly increased. The many Argo profiles distributed evenly over the year provide not only the means to calculate seasonally averaged salinity (and freshwater) distributions, but they can also be used to calculate regional Gravest Empirical Modes (GEMs) parameterized by pressure and dynamic height. Dynamic height is measured by altimetry and high quality altimeter data are available since 1992. GEMs will be used to construct from altimetry high resolution (in time and space) salinity, temperature and density fields. The objectives of the proposal are to - combine Argo/CTD profiles and altimetry to calculate temporal and spatial high resolution salinity fields in the mixed layer and in the upper 1500-2000m for the time period 1992 – 2013 for the subpolar and the subtropical Atlantic. - Construct regional freshwater budgets for the mixed layer and the upper 1500-2000m and estimate the contributions of the main processes to the observed change - Follow salinity anomalies from their origin along their circulation pathways, and study involved mechanisms (for instance role of eddies, mean circulation) for shallow, intermediate and deep water masses - Investigate changes in the formation of North Atlantic mode waters in the subpolar and subtropical gyre
DFG-Verfahren
Forschungsgruppen