The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges
The Weddell Gyre (WG) is one of the main oceanographic features of the Southern Ocean south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current which plays an influential role in global ocean circulation as well as gas exchange with the atmosphere. We review the state‐of‐the art knowledge concerning the WG from an...
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU), Washington, DC
2019
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Online Access: | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21865 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 |
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ftufz:oai:ufz.de:21865 2023-12-10T09:42:02+01:00 The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges Vernet, M. Geibert, W. Hoppema, M. Brown, P.J. Haas, C. Hellmer, H.H. Jokat, W. Jullion, L. Mazloff, M. Bakker, D.C.E. Brearley, J.A. Croot, P. Hattermann, T. Hauck, J. Hillenbrand, C.-D. Hoppe, C.J.M. Huhn, O. Koch, B.P. Lechtenfeld, Oliver Meredith, M.P. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Nöthig, E.-M. Peeken, I. Rutgers van der Loeff, M.M. Schmidtko, S. Schröder, M. Strass, V.H. Torres-Valdés, S. Verdy, A. 2019-05-08 application/pdf https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21865 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 en eng American Geophysical Union (AGU), Washington, DC Reviews of Geophysics 57 (3);; 623 - 708 https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21865 https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ISSN: 8755-1209 Weddell Gyre Weddell Sea Antarctica oceanography regional models long-term sampling info:eu-repo/semantics/article https://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text 2019 ftufz https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 2023-11-12T23:35:36Z The Weddell Gyre (WG) is one of the main oceanographic features of the Southern Ocean south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current which plays an influential role in global ocean circulation as well as gas exchange with the atmosphere. We review the state‐of‐the art knowledge concerning the WG from an interdisciplinary perspective, uncovering critical aspects needed to understand this system's role in shaping the future evolution of oceanic heat and carbon uptake over the next decades. The main limitations in our knowledge are related to the conditions in this extreme and remote environment, where the polar night, very low air temperatures and presence of sea ice year‐round hamper field and remotely sensed measurements. We highlight the importance of winter and under‐ice conditions in the southern WG, the role that new technology will play to overcome present‐day sampling limitations, the importance of the WG connectivity to the low‐latitude oceans and atmosphere, and the expected intensification of the WG circulation as the westerly winds intensify. Greater international cooperation is needed to define key sampling locations that can be visited by any research vessel in the region. Existing transects sampled since the 1980s along the Prime Meridian and along an East‐West section at ~62°S should be maintained with regularity to provide answers to the relevant questions. This approach will provide long‐term data to determine trends and will improve representation of processes for regional, Antarctic‐wide and global modeling efforts – thereby enhancing predictions of the WG in global ocean circulation and climate. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica polar night Sea ice Southern Ocean Weddell Sea UFZ - Publication Index (Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research) Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea Weddell Reviews of Geophysics 57 3 623 708 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
UFZ - Publication Index (Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research) |
op_collection_id |
ftufz |
language |
English |
topic |
Weddell Gyre Weddell Sea Antarctica oceanography regional models long-term sampling |
spellingShingle |
Weddell Gyre Weddell Sea Antarctica oceanography regional models long-term sampling Vernet, M. Geibert, W. Hoppema, M. Brown, P.J. Haas, C. Hellmer, H.H. Jokat, W. Jullion, L. Mazloff, M. Bakker, D.C.E. Brearley, J.A. Croot, P. Hattermann, T. Hauck, J. Hillenbrand, C.-D. Hoppe, C.J.M. Huhn, O. Koch, B.P. Lechtenfeld, Oliver Meredith, M.P. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Nöthig, E.-M. Peeken, I. Rutgers van der Loeff, M.M. Schmidtko, S. Schröder, M. Strass, V.H. Torres-Valdés, S. Verdy, A. The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
topic_facet |
Weddell Gyre Weddell Sea Antarctica oceanography regional models long-term sampling |
description |
The Weddell Gyre (WG) is one of the main oceanographic features of the Southern Ocean south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current which plays an influential role in global ocean circulation as well as gas exchange with the atmosphere. We review the state‐of‐the art knowledge concerning the WG from an interdisciplinary perspective, uncovering critical aspects needed to understand this system's role in shaping the future evolution of oceanic heat and carbon uptake over the next decades. The main limitations in our knowledge are related to the conditions in this extreme and remote environment, where the polar night, very low air temperatures and presence of sea ice year‐round hamper field and remotely sensed measurements. We highlight the importance of winter and under‐ice conditions in the southern WG, the role that new technology will play to overcome present‐day sampling limitations, the importance of the WG connectivity to the low‐latitude oceans and atmosphere, and the expected intensification of the WG circulation as the westerly winds intensify. Greater international cooperation is needed to define key sampling locations that can be visited by any research vessel in the region. Existing transects sampled since the 1980s along the Prime Meridian and along an East‐West section at ~62°S should be maintained with regularity to provide answers to the relevant questions. This approach will provide long‐term data to determine trends and will improve representation of processes for regional, Antarctic‐wide and global modeling efforts – thereby enhancing predictions of the WG in global ocean circulation and climate. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vernet, M. Geibert, W. Hoppema, M. Brown, P.J. Haas, C. Hellmer, H.H. Jokat, W. Jullion, L. Mazloff, M. Bakker, D.C.E. Brearley, J.A. Croot, P. Hattermann, T. Hauck, J. Hillenbrand, C.-D. Hoppe, C.J.M. Huhn, O. Koch, B.P. Lechtenfeld, Oliver Meredith, M.P. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Nöthig, E.-M. Peeken, I. Rutgers van der Loeff, M.M. Schmidtko, S. Schröder, M. Strass, V.H. Torres-Valdés, S. Verdy, A. |
author_facet |
Vernet, M. Geibert, W. Hoppema, M. Brown, P.J. Haas, C. Hellmer, H.H. Jokat, W. Jullion, L. Mazloff, M. Bakker, D.C.E. Brearley, J.A. Croot, P. Hattermann, T. Hauck, J. Hillenbrand, C.-D. Hoppe, C.J.M. Huhn, O. Koch, B.P. Lechtenfeld, Oliver Meredith, M.P. Naveira Garabato, A.C. Nöthig, E.-M. Peeken, I. Rutgers van der Loeff, M.M. Schmidtko, S. Schröder, M. Strass, V.H. Torres-Valdés, S. Verdy, A. |
author_sort |
Vernet, M. |
title |
The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
title_short |
The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
title_full |
The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
title_fullStr |
The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
title_sort |
weddell gyre, southern ocean: present knowledge and future challenges |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union (AGU), Washington, DC |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21865 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica polar night Sea ice Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica polar night Sea ice Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
op_source |
ISSN: 8755-1209 |
op_relation |
https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21865 https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000604 |
container_title |
Reviews of Geophysics |
container_volume |
57 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
623 |
op_container_end_page |
708 |
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1784884774541721600 |