Interannual variability of the South Atlantic subtropical mode water associated to remote climate patterns

• Grant number: 17/23133-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Physical Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Olga Tiemi Sato
• Grantee: Daniel Melo Costa Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/09659-6 - Interannual variability of the meridional transports across the SAMOC basin-wide array (SAMBAR), AP.TEM

Abstract

Mode waters are characterized by the homogeneity of parameters such as temperature and salinity in the vertical and in its horizontal extension. The subtropical mode water in the South Atlantic occupies the whole extension of the South Atlantic basin, between the latitudes of 30æS e 40æS. A massive amount of mode water is formed between July and October resulting from the ocean-atmosphere interaction processes. The ocean's upper layer is mixed and cooled and deepens to the depth of equilibrium isopycnal in the proximity of its formation. This process is strongly driven by the loss of energy from the ocean to the atmosphere. In this project we investigate the influence of remote climate patterns in the annual variability in the volume of subtropical mode water in the South Atlantic using an assimilation model outputs. Therefore, we will correlate the South Atlantic mode water volume time series with climate indices from different regions of the global oceans, e.g. El Nino or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, among others. (AU)