Abstract Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) supplies the lower limb of global overturning circulation and ventilates abyssal ocean. In recent decades, AABW has warmed, freshened reduced in volume. Ross Sea (RSBW), second largest source AABW, experienced freshening. Here we use 23 years summer measurements to document temporal variability salinity High Salinity Shelf (HSSW), a precursor RSBW. HSSW decreased between 1995 2014, consistent with freshening observed 1958 2008. However, rebounded...

A composite dataset (comprising geopotential height, sea surface temperature, zonal and meridional winds, precipitation, cloud cover, air latent plus sensible heat fluxes, ice concentration) has been investigated with the aim of revealing dominant time scales variability from 1982 to 2013. Three covarying climate signals associated variations in distribution around Antarctica have detected through application multiple-taper method singular value decomposition (MTM-SVD). Features established...

Polynyas are dynamic stretches of open water surrounded by ice. They typically occur in remote regions the Arctic and Antarctic, thus sensing is essential for monitoring their dynamics. On regional scales, daily passive microwave radiometers provide useful information about extent because independence from cloud coverage daylight; nonetheless, coarse resolution often does not allow an accurate discrimination between sea ice water. Despite its sensitivity to presence clouds, thermal infrared...

The Ross Sea exhibits the largest continental shelf and it is considered to be most productive region in Antarctica, with phytoplankton communities that have so far been driven by seasonal dynamics of polynya, producing picture what as classical Antarctic food web. Nevertheless, made up a complex mosaic sub-systems, physical, chemical, biological features change on different temporal spatial scales. Thus, we investigated community structure scale, considering ecological sub-systems region....

The monitoring of glaciers and icebergs is paramount importance as they have a significant impact on sea level, ocean circulation, global warming navigation. In this study, the C33 iceberg (Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica) analyzed using time series Sentinel-1 dual-polarimetric HH-HV synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired between 9 April 3 May 2016. A processing paradigm that exploits information provided by imagery proposed. Multipolarization intensity-based features are used to extract...

ABSTRACT The Drygalski Ice Tongue presents an ~80 km long floating obstacle to alongshore flows in the Victoria Land coastal ocean region of Western Ross Sea. Here we use oceanographic data from near tongue explore interplay between glacier and local currents stratification. A vessel-based circuit glacier, recording temperature salinity profiles, reveals southwest corner be coldest most complex terms vertical structure. structure beneath surface warm, salty layer sustains a block very cold...

Abstract. We present data collected in the framework of Algerian BAsin Circulation Unmanned Survey (ABACUS) project. The main objective ABACUS is monitoring basin circulation and surface intermediate water masses' physical biological properties a key region Mediterranean Sea circulation. Data presented here have been through deep glider cruises Western during autumns 2014, 2015 2016; activities at sea are expected to be repeated coming years, so that dataset will extended. Glider missions...

Abstract. During the period 1998–2000, Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project, aiming to build a forecasting system for physical state of sea, has been carried out. A ship-of-opportunity programme sampled upper ocean thermal structure by means eXpendable Bathy-Thermographs (XBTs), along seven tracks, from September 1999 May 2000. The tracks were designed detect some main circulation features, such as stream surface Atlantic water flowing Alboran Sea Eastern Levantine Basin. cyclonic...

In polar regions, ocean-atmosphere interactions are strongly influenced by sea ice and its thickness. Since satellite passive microwave observations became available in the 1970s, significant progress has been made study of snow depth concentration extent these regions. Estimating sea-ice thickness (SIT), instead, turned out to be considerably more difficult. We present a new empirical algorithm estimate SIT Ross Weddell Seas from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager brightness temperatures. This...

The meridional heat flux required to balance the lost by ocean atmosphere at high latitudes must be accomplished some mechanism other than mean advection and eddies crossing Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) may a candidate. In this study, positions of main ACC fronts are determined based on 23 expendable bathythermographs (XBT) transects collected from 1994 2010 compared with those detected through satellite altimetry. Then, cold core anomalies in XBT sections identified altimetry is used...

Dissolved iron (Fe) distribution and speciation was determined in water samples (0–200 m) collected a coastal area near Terra Nova Bay during the austral summer of 2014. Nutrients, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton composition prokaryotic biomass were investigated combination with measurements physical properties columns its dynamics. The dFe value above limiting growth concentration, ranging from 0.52 to 4.51 nM, it showed spatial variability horizontal length scale about 10...

<p>A wave-propelled autonomous vehicle (Wave Glider) instrumented with a variety of oceanographic and meteorological sensors was launched from Gulf Naples on the 12<sup>th </sup>of September 2012 for two-week mission in Southern Tyrrhenian Sea. The main objective preliminary evaluation potential commercial platforms to provide reliable measurements sea surface parameters which can complement existing satellite based products moving local synoptic scale. To this aim Wave...

Abstract It is widely known that precipitation a key variable of the hydrological cycle strongly affected by recent climate changes. Therefore, there growing interest in research activities focused on alteration rainfall regime, as it conditions planning countermeasures against flood and landslide hazards. The available literature about tendencies over Italian peninsula offers limited number studies changes extreme events intensity. This work aims at adding contribution to fill this gap,...

In the polar regions, dynamical and thermodynamical interactions between atmosphere ocean are strongly influenced by presence or absence of ice cover, which forms an insulating layer over ocean, hindering sensible heat fluxes forming effective barrier to evaporation thus preventing latent loss. framework CLIMA (Climatic Long-term Interactions for Mass-balance in Antarctica) project Italian PNRA (National Program Antarctic Research) we focused our attention on evaluation Ross Sea, where...

The Southern Ocean (SO) is the region of World bordering on Antarctica over which significant exchanges between atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice take place. Here, strong nearly unhindered eastward flow Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important role in mean global climate as it transmits anomalies around hemisphere. Features interannual variability have been observed to propagate SO with circumpolar form a system coupled anomalies, known wave (ACW). In present study, 142-yr series...

Background: The hierarchical use of remotely-sensed imagery from satellites, and then proximally-sensed helicopter sand drones, can provide a range spatial temporal coverage that supports water quality monitoring complex pollution scenarios. Methods: study used satellite-, helicopter-, drone-acquired thermal coastal plumes ranging 3 to 300 m, near Naples, Italy, captured temporally- spatially-overlapping in situ samples correlate parameters each plume the seawater. Results: In sampling...

Abstract Polynyas, or ice-free regions within the sea ice pack, are a common occurrence around Antarctica. A recurrent and often large polynya is Terra Nova Bay Polynya (TNBP), located on western side of Ross Sea just off Victoria Land. In this study, we investigate atmospheric conditions leading to TNBP its spatial variability, as estimated using satellite-derived surface temperature concentration data. cluster analysis revealed that katabatic winds descending Transantarctic Mountains,...

The Algerian Basin is a key area for the general circulation in western Mediterranean Sea. basin has an intense inflow/outflow regime with complex patterns, involving both fresh Atlantic water and more saline water. Several studies have demonstrated advantages of combined use autonomous underwater vehicles, such as gliders, remotely sensed products (e.g., altimetry, MUR SST) to observe meso- submesoscale structures their properties. An important contribution could come from new generation...

Abstract. From September 1999 to December 2000, eXpendable Bathy-Thermograph (XBT) profiles were collected along the Genova-Palermo shipping route in framework of Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project (MFSPP). The is virtually coincident with track 0044 TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimeter, crossing Ligurian and Tyrrhenian basins an approximate N–S direction. This allows a direct comparison between XBT altimetry, whose findings are presented this paper. sections reveal presence major...