Southern Ocean energetics from SWOT:  large-scale jets to small scale eddies

Principal Investigator: Andrew Thompson (Caltech)

Co-Investigator(s): Patrice Klein, Lia Siegelman, Hector Torres

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The SWOT altimeter observations now fully capture, for the first time, eddy turbulence in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), a region that regulates global rates of ocean heat and carbon uptake. This project will provide an updated perspective on Southern Ocean energetics and transport by characterizing coherent frontal jets and mesoscale eddies as well as their interaction and impact on meridional and vertical heat transport. Our analysis involves a novel framework to retrieve surface currents from SWOT, with contributions beyond geostrophy. The small deformation radius in the ACC, its elevated eddy energy levels compared to the global ocean, and the coarse resolution of conventional altimeters makes SWOT particularly relevant for improving understanding of a rapidly changing Southern Ocean. In addition to SWOT SSH observations, we use NASA satellite SST products, data from a dedicated SWOT ACC field campaign, and a high-resolution numerical simulation run at NASA JPL.