 |
|
Agulhas Return Current (ARC) Ocean Climate Station
The first ARC deployment occurred on November 30, 2010. However, due to higher than anticipated deep currents, the mooring broke free from its anchor on January 16, 2011. It continued to telemeter data from all its sensors while drifting in the Agulhas Return Current, until it was recovered by the French research ship MARION DUFRESNE on March 8, 2011. Future plans are being developed to redeploy a more robust system in the area.About the buoy location: The Agulhas Return Current (ARC) mooring site is south of Africa, where the warm Agulhas ocean current encounters colder Antarctic air. As with other western boundary current systems (Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension, Gulf Stream, East Australia Current, and the Brazil-Malvinas Current), the Agulhas Return Current is a "hot spot" where the ocean releases heat to the atmosphere and absorbs CO2.
About the buoy: The Agulhas Return Current (ARC) buoy was built, designed and deployed by the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) to monitor the air-sea heat and carbon dioxide fluxes. The ARC buoy is part of a network of reference stations. Its data will be used to analyze the climate system and to validate and improve global products, such as the flux fields shown below.
Funding support was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Shiptime aboard the South African Fisheries Research Ship Algoa was provided by the Agulhas Somali Current Large Ecosystems (ASCLME) project. More Information:
|
|
||||||
| Home | Stations | Research | Mooring Technology | Data | People |
 |
||
 |
  |
 |
|
||
| Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 |
 |
OCS webmaster DOC | NOAA | OAR | PMEL Privacy Policy | Disclaimer |