# Presentation: 259914

- Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

**Estimates of Meridional Heat Transport **
**in the South Atlantic Ocean**

- (graphic courtesy of R. Lumpkin)

## High Density XBT Lines

- 17 sections in the South Atlantic

## Time series of the total heat transport (top panel) at 30°S (solid) and 35°S (dashed) obtained from the POCM velocity and temperature fields. In parenthesis after the mean value of the series, is the standard deviation. The lower panel is the climatological annual cycle of the heat transport (1986-1998) computed from the full time series at 30°S (represents 31% of the RMS variance) and at 35°S (represents 17% of the RMS variance).

## Table III: Results from the analysis of the POCM model. A: Comparison between the results from direct calculation of the transport using the model velocities and from the geostrophic method using the model velocity to determine the reference level all locations. B: Comparison between the results from direct calculation of the transport using the model velocities and from the geostrophic method using with  =37.09 kg m-3 as reference level.  C: Comparison between the results from direct calculation of the transport using the model velocities and from the geostrophic method using with  =37.09 kg m-3 as reference level and a mean bottom velocity in the western boundary

**Table III:** Results from the analysis of the POCM model. A: Comparison between the results from direct calculation of the transport using the model velocities and from the geostrophic method using the model velocity to determine the reference level all locations. B: Comparison between the results from direct calculation of the transport using the model velocities and from the geostrophic method using with  =37.09 kg m-3 as reference level.  C: Comparison between the results from direct calculation of the transport using the model velocities and from the geostrophic method using with  =37.09 kg m-3 as reference level and a mean bottom velocity in the western boundary

## Summary of uncertainties

-  Error estimates for the heat transport values

## South Atlantic Heat Transport from XBTs

- Solid blue line: Total heat transport;
- Dashed black line: geostrophic component;
- Dashed red line: Ekman component. All values are in PW (1PW = 1015 Watts).

## Variability with latitude

## Annual cycle of the total heat transport, the geostrophic heat transport and the Ekman heat transport.

- Annual cycle of the total heat transport, the geostrophic heat transport and the Ekman heat transport.

## US Repeat Hydrography Cruises

## 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

## Proposed NOAA CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydro cruises

- P18S
- Jan 2008

-   A13.5
- March 2009

-      A10
- March 2010

-      A5
- July 2011

-    A16N
- July 2012

- Proposed NOAA CLIVAR/CO2 Repeat Hydro cruises