U.S. SO GLOBEC Synthesis and Modeling: Circulation and Hydrographic Data Analyses and Modeling Studies

This collaborative study between Old Dominion University, the College of William and Mary, Earth and Space Research, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will examine the interactions among the ocean circulation, vertical mixing, sea ice, and marine biological processes on the western Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf. The study will result in analytical and numerical modeling tools that are based on, and will have been tested against the extensive data set obtained in the course of the Southern Ocean experiment of the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics program (SO-Globec).

These models will provide insight into circulation and biological dynamics that will be applicable to the development and refinement of physical and biological models for other high latitude systems. SO-Globec is a multidisciplinary effort focused on understanding the physical and biological factors that influence growth, reproduction, recruitment and survival of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). The program uses a multi-trophic level approach that includes the predators and competitors of Antarctic krill, represented by other zooplankton, fish, penguins, seals, and cetaceans.