Ocean Observing and Climate
Research Topics
Research in the ocean observing and climate group focuses on: observing and monitoring the state of the oceans, their circulation and transports; the interaction between the oceans and the atmopshere and the role of the oceans in climate.
Surface Processes
Observations of the surface ocean and lower atmosphere are used to estimate and understand the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere. Research ranges from parameterizing the surface fluxes to making global bulk estimates of the fluxes and their influence on the ocean circulation.
- Flux measurement and parameterization
- Estimating global surface fluxes
- Remote sensing of the ocean surface
Ocean Transports
The state of the oceans and its circulation are observed through observations from a wide range of platforms: ocean moorings; floats; moored and drifing buoys; research vessels; merchant ships; and satellites. These observations are used in a number of studies:
- Estimating the heat and freshwater content of the oceans
- Monitoring the meridional overturning circulation and transports
- Estimating the properties of the surface ocean and lower atmosphere
Climate
The oceans play a key role in the Earth's climate system, transporting heat from the equator towards the poles and releasing it back to the atmosphere at mid-high high latitudes. This system is experiencing significant changes as a result of both natural and man-made climate variability which have widespread societal impacts. We undertake research into the role of the ocean in the changing climate system using a wide range of observations and model analyses. Main research areas
- Determination and explanation of recent changes in ocean climate.
- Changes in surface forcing fields and their impact on the ocean.
- Sea level variability - particularly in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.
- The link between oceanic Rossby / Kelvin waves and climate processes.
