The Southern Ocean branch of the Meridional Overturning Circulation: New observations of vertical mixing

Project aim

The Southern Ocean ventilates much of the world ocean and regulates its capacity to store heat and carbon. Over 60% of the total ocean storage of anthropogenic carbon dioxide is in the southern hemisphere oceans. Recent studies suggest vertical mixing, a key process in this ventilation, is strong where the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the largest current in the world, crosses rough bottom topography. Using newly-developed velocity sensors attached to Argo profiling floats we will measure vertical mixing to help us better understand the meridional overturning circulation and the factors that may cause it to slow or shut down.