Objective Mapping of Argo data in the Weddell Gyre: a gridded dataset of upper ocean water properties, link to data files in NetCDF format ...

• Main Authors: Reeve, Krissy A, Boebel, Olaf, Kanzow, Torsten, Strass, Volker H, Rohardt, Gerd, Fahrbach, Eberhard
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2016
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Weddell; Antarc*; Ice Shelves
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.842876; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.842876

The Weddell Gyre plays a crucial role in the modification of climate by advecting heat poleward to the Antarctic ice shelves and by regulating the density of water masses that feed the lowest limb of the global ocean overturning circulation. However, our understanding of Weddell Gyre water mass properties is limited to regions of data availability, primarily along the Prime Meridian. The aim of this paper is to provide a data set of the upper water column properties of the entire Weddell Gyre. Objective mapping was applied to Argo float data in order to produce spatially gridded, time-composite maps of temperature and salinity for fixed pressure levels ranging from 50 to 2000 dbar, as well as temperature, salinity and pressure at the level of the sub-surface temperature maximum. While the data are currently too limited to incorporate time into the gridded structure, the data are extensive enough to produce maps of the entire region across three time-composite periods (2001–2005, 2006–2009 and 2010–2013), ... : The time composite data sets are provided as NetCDF files; one for each time period. Mapped fields of conservative temperature, absolute salinity and potential density are provided for 41 vertical pressure levels. The above variables as well as pressure are provided at the level of the sub-surface temperature maximum. Corresponding mapping errors are also included in the NetCDF files. Further details are provided in the global attributes, such as the unit variables and structure of the corresponding data array (i.e. latitude x longitude x vertical pressure level). In addition, all files ending in "_potTpSal" provide mapped fields of potential temperature and practical salinity. ...