Changes on the bottom limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation on the last decades

• Grant number: 21/09317-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2026
• 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

Since early 70's the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) is defined as the water mass with potential temperature below 2°C, this water mass is formed at Weddel Sea and is carried out of its formation regions by Deep Western Boundary Currents, a stage in which it constitutes the bottom limb of the Meridional Overturning Circulation. This feature plays a significant role in the oceanic heat storage, and hence it has a large impact on climate variability on a timescale from decades and longer, what leaded to an increasing research effort to measure its warming tendency. Nevertheless, the causes of its warming is still target of debates today, as is its northernmost reach. This project aims to enhance the knowledge related to the AABW, by looking to its formation region at the Antarctic continent, to its propagation paths along different South Atlantic basins, until its northernmost reach at the North Atlantic Ocean, through the use of unpublished data, oceanic model output, climatology, satellite data, numerical modeling and also by revisiting some of the available historical data. (AU)