Deser 9531870 As part of the Atlantic Circulation and Climate Experiment (ACCE) of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Program, an analysis of historical data will be combined with atmospheric and ocean mixed layer modeling experiments to investigate large scale air-sea interactions in the North Atlantic. Of particular interest to this study are the processes that contribute to Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly development in the sub-polar and sub-tropical gyres, with emphasis upon the relative roles of air-sea fluxes and entrainment of subsurface water into the mixed layer. The temporal evolution and sub-surface thermal expression of the quasi-decadal SST variations in the sub-polar gyre and the time-dependent atmospheric response to SST anomalies will be studied to provide an historical context for the atmospheric and oceanic variability observed during the field phase of ACCE.
