Glider Surveys off Norway

PI: Craig Lee
Sponsor: Norwegian Meteorological Office

The northernmost limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), so relevant for understanding decadal climate variability, enters the Nordic Seas as the Norwegian Atlantic Current and continues on to recirculate in the Arctic Ocean. The strength of the Eastern Branch of the Norwegian Atlantic Current has been systematically monitored for over 15 years at the Svinøy section off southern Norway, whereas the strength of the Western Branch has not. We therefore used autonomous gliders to monitor and quantify the strength of this broader branch at the Svinøy section, located 500 km downstream from the Iceland–Scotland Ridge, and at the Station Mike section 300 km further downstream. The gliders’ diving depth is 1000 m, spanning the warm Atlantic Water.