Over the past decade the USAP ships, RV/AS Gould and RV/IB Palmer, have used hull-mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) to routinely record underway, along track velocity profiles beneath the ships. This has resulted in a growing database of ADCP transects, especially in the region of the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Combined with other hydrographic data (e.g. XBT/ XCTD data, drifter tracks, some limited moorings) this current velocity data will be used for further analysis of the physical circulation in this ecologically and climatically sensitive region of the Southern Ocean. Processes including inter-annual and spatial variability of WAP shelf-edge and cross-shelf transport, the effects of tides, circulation controls upon sea-ice formation and associated Antarctic ecosystems (e.g. krill) are some of the key circulation features that may be more accurately inferred from these combined data sets.
This study will support the development of a graduate student in descriptive physical oceanography, and introduce undergraduate students to quantitative scientific analysis.
