Open AccessImplementing a Southern Ocean Observing System
Author(s) -
Schofield Oscar,
Meredith Michael,
Newman Louise,
Sparrow Michael,
Urban Ed
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2012eo260002
Subject(s) - biogeochemical cycle , oceanography , ocean current , environmental science , ocean heat content , ocean observations , oceanic basin , atmosphere (unit) , climatology , earth system science , thermohaline circulation , geology , geography , meteorology , structural basin , ecology , biology , paleontology
The Southern Ocean is fundamental to the operation of the Earth system. It is the central connection among the major ocean basins and between the upper and lower layers of the global ocean circulation. It influences global climate and planetary‐scale biogeochemical cycles, because the Southern Ocean accounts for half of the annual ocean uptake of anthropogenic carbon from the atmosphere [ Rintoul et al. , 2001; Le Quéré et al. , 2007; Meredith et al. , 2012]. The Southern Ocean also supplies nutrients that fertilize the majority of global ocean biological productivity north of 30°S [ Sarmiento et al. , 2004].