Repeat Hydrography Cruises

U.S Global Ocean Carbon and Repeat Hydrography Program

In the 1990s programs like the international World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) provided the most extensive assessment of ocean water column properties ever achieved. The NOAA component of that effort was called the Ocean - Atmosphere Carbon Exchange Study (OACES). Our current efforts are focused on re-sampling a subset of the WOCE/JGOFS cruises to evaluate the decadal changes in ocean properties. The NOAA labs are working with our academic partners to conduct these cruises through the U.S Global Ocean Carbon and Repeat Hydrography Program. By integrating the scientific needs of the carbon and hydrography/tracer communities, major synergies and cost savings are achieved. In addition to efficiency, the coordinated approach produces scientific advances that exceed those of individual programs. The data collected by this program contributes to the following scientific objectives:

  • Data for Model Calibration and Validation
  • Carbon System Studies (Changes in anthropogenic carbon inventory; Transport of carbon, oxygen and nutrients; Large scale natural and anthropogenic variability of biogeochemical properties)
  • Heat and Freshwater Storage and Flux Studies (Divergence of transport-surface fluxes; Transport of heat and salt; Storage of heat and freshwater; Globally changing inventories of heat and freshwater)
  • Deep and Shallow Water Mass and Ventilation Studies (Changes in subduction and formation rates; Effective spreading rates; Pathways of ventilation; Rates of dilution; Water mass ages)
  • Calibration of Autonomous Sensors (ARGO salinity sensors; Biogeochemical moorings and floats; Relationships between sensors and other properties)
     
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