HR: 0800h
AN: OS41B-0537 [Abstracts]
TI: SPICE: South PacIfic Circulation and Climate Experiment
AU: * Ganachaud, A
EM: alexandre.ganachaud@noaa.gov
AF: PMEL/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, United States
AU: * Ganachaud, A
EM: alexandre.ganachaud@noaa.gov
AF: LEGOS/IRD, BP A5, Noumea, 98848, New Caledonia
AU: Kessler, W
EM: William.S.Kessler@noaa.gov
AF: PMEL/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, United States
AU: Brassington, G
EM: G.Brassington@bom.gov.au
AF: Australian Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289k, Melbourne, VIC 2001, Australia
AU: Wijffels, S
EM: Susan.Wijffels@csiro.au
AF: CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
AU: Ridgway, K
EM: Ken.Ridgway@csiro.au
AF: CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
AU: Cai, W
EM: Wenju.Cai@csiro.au
AF: CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, 107 - 121 Station Street, Aspendale, VIC 3195,
Australia
AU: Holbrook, N
EM: holbrook@els.mq.edu.au
AF: PG/Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
AU: Holbrook, N
EM: holbrook@els.mq.edu.au
AF: SGES/UT, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
AU: Holbrook, N
EM: holbrook@els.mq.edu.au
AF: CMS/UT, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
AU: Bowen, M
EM: bowenmm@gmail.com
AF: NIWA, PO Box 14-901 Kilbirnie, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand
AU: Sutton, P
EM: p.sutton@niwa.cri.nz
AF: NIWA, PO Box 14-901 Kilbirnie, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand
AU: Qiu, B
EM: bo@soest.hawaii.edu
AF: SOEST/UH, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
AU: Timmermann, A
EM: axel@hawaii.edu
AF: IPRC/UH, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
AU: Roemmich, D
EM: droemmich@ucsd.edu
AF: SIO/UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego, CA 92093, United States
AU: Sprintall, J
EM: janet@beqa.ucsd.edu
AF: SIO/UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego, CA 92093, United States
AU: Cravatte, S
EM: sophie.cravatte@legos.obs-mip.fr
AF: LEGOS/IRD, 14 Ave E. Belin, Toulouse, 31400, France
AU: Gourdeau, L
EM: gourdeau@noumea.ird.nc
AF: LEGOS/IRD, BP A5, Noumea, 98848, New Caledonia
AU: Aung, T
EM: aung_t@usp.ac.fj
AF: USP, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, 00000, Fiji
AB:
South Pacific thermocline waters are transported from the subtropical gyre center in the westward flowing South
Equatorial Current, towards the southwestern Pacific Ocean-a major circulation pathway that redistributes water
from the subtropics to the equator and southern ocean. The transit in the Coral Sea is potentially of great
importance to tropical climate prediction because changes in either the temperature or the amount of water
arriving at the equator have the capability to modulate the ENSO cycle and thereby produce basin-scale climate
feedbacks. The Southwest Pacific is a region of complex ocean circulation. The South Equatorial Current is split
in strong zonal jets upon encountering the island archipelago. Those jets partition on the Australian eastern
boundary to feed the East Australian Current for the southern branch and the North Queensland Current and
eventually the Equatorial Undercurrent for the northern branch. This climatological view of the current system is
subject to substantial seasonal and inter-annual modulation. This circulation, and its influence on remote and
regional climate, is poorly understood due to the lack of appropriate measurements. Ocean and atmosphere
scientists from Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States initiated an international research project
under the auspices of CLIVAR to comprehend the Southwest Pacific ocean circulation and its direct and indirect
influence on the climate and environment. The outline of a feasible, regionally-coordinated experiment to
measure, study and monitor the ocean circulation, to validate and improve numerical models, and to integrate
with assimilating systems is presented. This project, named SPICE, reflects a strong sense that substantial
progress can be made through collaboration among South Pacific national research groups, with full
coordination with broader South Pacific projects.
UR: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/people/ganachaud/spice/SPICEscienceplan_bkgnd.pdf
DE: 3305 Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 3319 General circulation (1223)
DE: 3339 Ocean/atmosphere interactions (0312, 4504)
DE: 4513 Decadal ocean variability (1616, 1635, 3305, 4215)
DE: 4576 Western boundary currents
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting