9316511 Guest The proposed work is part of an integrated research program ("Anzflux") into the oceanographic structure of upper mixed layer of the eastern Weddell Sea. It is to be carried out from the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer in the austral winter of 1994. The work proposed here concerns the dynamics of the forcing of the sea ice cover and the upper ocean by the atmosphere. Measurements and analyses will include the wind stress and atmospheric heat fluxes, and upward and downward components of short and long wave radiation. An on-board rawinsonde system will obtain daily profiles wind, temperature, humidity, and pressure through the troposphere, and an acoustic sounder will continuously monitor the structure of the lower atmosphere. Satellite data and imagery will be used to determine the regional and mesoscale context of the point measurements from the ship. The major goal of this component of Anzflux is to provide for the continuity of heat exchange measurements through the ocean/ice interface into the atmosphere. These measurements, in conjunction with the other concurrent experiments to quantify the energy brought to the underside of the ice, will form the basis of a regional study of the processes responsible for the relatively thick upper mixed layer and thin ice cover. It is believed that these conditions are only marginally stable, and are maintained by a relatively high upward heat flux, which, if interrupted, could lead to deep vertical convection, and a significant change in the oceanic climate. ***
