SAMOC-SA

Abstract

Maintenance of an extensive array of continuous measurements across both the North and South Atlantic, and its neighbouring basins, has been highlighted as crucial to attaining a better understanding of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and its impacts on global climate. The MOC is the primary mechanism for transport of heat, salt and carbon between ocean basins, and past changes in the strength of the MOC have been linked to substantial climate variations. Future predictions suggest that the MOC will continue to modulate climate change on timescales from decades to centuries, but recent observations have stressed the importance of short-term fluctuations from days to years. Recognition of the critical importance of the South Atlantic led to the creation of an international community initiative on the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC). The local branch of this initiative, SAMOC-SA, has been underway since 2013 and consists of diverse South African observational platforms aimed at monitoring long-term physical-chemical changes within the ocean current systems around South Africa, as well as their impact on local and global climate.

The SAMOC array consists a combination of tall moorings, CPIES, full depth CTD stations, Argo deployments, sea time on the RS Algoa and the SA Agulhas II, as well as a multitude of underway and surface measurements extending across the Greater Agulhas Current system and its inter-basin leakage. SAMOC-SA fulfils the core objectives of the 2014 DST Plan for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, the national Marine and Antarctic Research Strategy (MARS), and the DST 10-year Innovation Plan. Through partnerships with participating SAMOC countries, we seek to achieve implementation of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation and the Belém Statement on Atlantic Research and Innovation Cooperation. This application is for on-going support to continue SAMOC-SA's current monitoring capabilities.