USAP-DC

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica plays a central role in the Earth system. It connects the deep ocean with the surface, bringing cold, carbon-rich water upward while carrying heat and carbon dioxide absorbed at the surface into the ocean’s interior. These exchanges regulate how heat and carbon are stored and transported throughout the global ocean. Recent research suggests that much of this exchange occurs in relatively small, highly active regions, or “hotspots,” but scientists still have only a limited understanding of how these hotspots function and how they vary over time. This project will investigate how Southern Ocean hotspots control the movement of heat and carbon using a state-of-the-art computer model of the Earth system. The research team will develop new capabilities that allow virtual water parcels to be tracked as they move through the simulated ocean, revealing where water originates, how it travels, and how its physical and biogeochemical properties change along the way. These simulations will provide new insight into the processes that govern the circulation of heat and carbon in the Southern Ocean and improve scientific understanding of the global ocean’s carbon and heat budgets. The research team will implement this online particle-tracking capability in the widely-used Community Earth System Model (CESM), creating a valuable new tool that will be used more broadly by a range of researchers. The datasets that are created from this work will be made publicly available, enabling scientists worldwide to investigate additional questions about ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, and the marine carbon cycle. This work also complements ongoing NSF-supported Southern Ocean observing and modeling efforts and provides an important step toward simulating autonomous biogeochemical profiling floats within the model framework. The project will provide research and training opportunities for a graduate student and undergraduate students, helping to prepare the next generation of STEM professionals. It will broaden public understanding of ocean science by developing an educational article for Frontiers for Young Minds, a peer-reviewed science journal written for and reviewed by children. This award reflects NSF''s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation''s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Person	Role
Lovenduski, Nicole	Investigator and contact
Jones, Spencer	Co-Investigator

Antarctic Integrated System Science	Award # 2534865
Antarctic Integrated System Science	Award # 2534864

USAP-2534864_1

None in the Database