AOML scientists lead and participate in workshop on South Atlantic circulation

Drs. Christopher Meinen and Renellys Perez of AOML's Physical Oceanography Division led a one-day workshop for the international South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation ("SAMOC") initiative on February 21, 2016 in New Orleans, LA.

AOML scientists Drs. Shenfu Dong, Silvia Garzoli, Sudip Majumder, and Claudia Schmid also participated in the workshop, which was the sixth in a series of workshops that have been held since 2007 to coordinate international efforts to study important SAMOC-related science issues. The SAMOC VI workshop, which was held the day before the 2016 Ocean Sciences conference commenced, involved 25 scientists representing institutions from the four continents surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. Participants discussed logistical updates related to ongoing and future field programs, including plans for joint cruises and field work, collaborative research studies and publications, data analysis challenges and data sharing policies, and future leadership of this important science initiative. Dr. Garzoli stepped down as chair of the SAMOC Executive Committee, taking a 'member emeritus' position, and Dr. Meinen was appointed to serve as a new member of the Executive Committee. The participants also agreed upon procedures for creating a new SAMOC Science Team that will help direct science in this area moving forward. A SAMOC-related science session entitled "Observing and Modeling the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the South Atlantic: Causes of variability and impacts on climate, weather, and ecosystems" was held on the first day of the Ocean Sciences meeting. This session updated the broader scientific community on recent SAMOC scientific advances, and Dr. Perez was one of the four conveners. These important discussions will help NOAA and its partners better understand the structure and variability of the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the South Atlantic – a key near-term goal of the U.S. interagency Ocean Research Priorities Plan.

Map illustrating many of the major field projects collecting data related to SAMOC, including several important NOAA-led projects.