Using ocean surface variables to determine the density driven circulation of the oceans

Abstract

The traditional framework used for inferring the density driven oceanic circulation necessitates the need of air-sea flux datasets. These datasets are of coarse spatio-temporal resolution as well as highly uncertain due to the nature of their derivation. This means that we cannot take advantage of high resolution ocean surface variables (e.g. provided by satellites) in studies of oceanic circulation. In this study, we have developed an alternative framework in which deep circulation can be inferred through ocean surface variables alone via the material evolution of sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface temperature (SST). We showcase the performance of both the approaches over 23 years (1995-2018) in the Southern Hemisphere