We present a complete set of freely available MATLAB/Octave scripts called the SOCIB Glider Toolb... more We present a complete set of freely available MATLAB/Octave scripts called the SOCIB Glider Toolbox (). This new toolbox automates glider data processing functions, including thermal lag correction, quality control and graphical outputs. While the scientific value of the glider platform has been proven, the experience for the glider data user is far from perfect or routine. Over the last 10 years, ocean gliders have evolved such that they are now considered a core component of multi-platform observing systems and multi-disciplinary process studies ; we now have a generic processing system that appropriately complements glider capability. In an ideal world, a simple connection to a glider would provide oceanographic data ready for scientific application in an intuitive, familiar format; the reality has been somewhat different. Up till now users have faced several timeconsuming tasks that prevent them from directly and efficiently extracting new oceanographic knowledge from the acquired data. The SOCIB glider toolbox covers all stages of the data management process, including: metadata aggregation, raw data download, data processing, data correction and the automatic generation of data products and figures. It is designed to be operated either in real-time or in delayed mode, and to process data from two of the most widely
This paper presents a detailed diagnostic analysis of hydrographic and current meter data from th... more This paper presents a detailed diagnostic analysis of hydrographic and current meter data from three, rapidly repeated, fine-scale surveys of the Almeria-Oran front. Mediterranean origin, is shown to provide a mechanism for significant heat transfer from the surface layers to the deep ocean in winter. The data were collected during the second observational phase of the EU funded OMEGA project on RRS Discovery cruise 224 during December 1996. High resolution hydrographic measurements using the towed undulating CTD vehicle, SeaSoar,. traced the subduction of Mediterranean Surface Water across the Almeria-Oran front. This subduction is shown to result from a significant baroclinic component to the instability of the frontal jet. The Qvector formulation of the omega equation is combined with a scale analysis to quantitatively diagnose vertical transport resulting from mesoscale ageostrophic circulation. The analyses are presented and discussed in the presence of satellite and airborne remotely sensed data; which provide the basis for a thorough and novel approach to the determination of observational error.
Journal Of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Apr 1, 2019
Eight years of glider data are used to characterize the temporal and spatial variability of a reg... more Eight years of glider data are used to characterize the temporal and spatial variability of a region in the western Mediterranean that will constitute one of the targets for the calibration phase of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission. The characteristic horizontal dimension of mesoscale instabilities in the Mallorca channel is 6.0 km. The temporal evolution of intermediate water masses is dominated by an increase over time of the characteristic temperature values. Western Mediterranean and Levantine Intermediate waters display an increase of the temperature extrema of 0.064 ± 0.002 and 0.044 ± 0.002 • C/year between 2011 and 2018, respectively. At the layer of Levantine Intermediate water the salinity temporal regression reveals a mean trend of 0.010 year -1 . Temperature annual cycle shows an averaged temperature gradient of ∼6 • C in 6 months at the upper layer, with a disconnection with the annual cycle at 100-m depth. The circulation across the channel is dominated by high-frequency variability. The signature of eddies with radius ranging from 5 to 18 km is apparent in 16% of the transects analyzed and mainly in spring and summer, with a dominance of subsurface cyclonic eddies. Two-way flow controls the annual cycle of the water transport through the channel with prevalence of the inflow of Atlantic water. Variations of water transport over timescales of weeks to months can be similar to those identifiable as seasonal changes.
Satellite altimetry measurements from SARAL-AltiKa are analysed in the coastal ocean using the re... more Satellite altimetry measurements from SARAL-AltiKa are analysed in the coastal ocean using the results of the G-AltiKa mission (1 to 5 August 2013), which combined altimeter, HF radar and glider data coincident with the satellite track, south-west of Ibiza Island, in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The absolute dynamic topography, computed from 1 Hz and 40 Hz altimetry data, and the dynamic height, computed from glider temperature and salinity, both exhibited a weak signal with amplitudes of order 2 cm. The resulting geostrophic and HF radar velocities along the track depicted a northwestward coastal current with a maximal velocity larger than 20 cm s -1 .
The 48th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics took place from the 23 to the 27 May, 2... more The 48th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics took place from the 23 to the 27 May, 2016, in the Academic Room of the University of Liège (Belgium). Every year, the Colloquium addresses a cutting-edge topic in Ocean Science with the goal to foster discussions and collaborations among scientists from all around the world. This edition aimed to advance our collective understanding of submesoscale processes, their mechanistic functioning, relevance, and implications across a range of oceanic disciplines. Discussions included observational, modeling, and theoretical approaches for elucidating submesoscale phenomena. This 48th edition was a success with 199 participants (Fig. ) from 25 countries, 72 oral presentations, 8 keynote talks, and 143 posters, distributed over 7 topical sessions. All sessions are represented in the present topical collection of Ocean Dynamics. The topical collection includes four papers from this session. present microstructure measurements on the North Carolina shelf and across the Gulf Stream front. The vertical eddy diffusivity is described from these measurements and parameterization of the diffusivity for various mesoscale dynamical conditions was proposed. Nagai and Clayton (2017) study nitrate interleaving structures in oligotrophic surface waters south of the Kuroshio
Journal Of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Mar 1, 2022
Ocean fronts are narrow zones with strong horizontal gradients of density (ρ), and frequently aff... more Ocean fronts are narrow zones with strong horizontal gradients of density (ρ), and frequently affected by surface convergence and enhance vertical shear. Their surface expression may be evident or subdued, and their size and location may evolve rapidly over a timescale of days . These ocean fronts may act as a boundary between water masses with different physical and bio-optical characteristics. In the frontal zone, vertical motions occur on one or both sides of the front, where upward and downward transport occurs toward or away from the sunlit surface. The fronts at the mesoscale and submesoscale levels induce ageostrophic secondary circulation (ASC) and the transport of tracers and, properties across the mixed layer
In this work a simplified observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) approach is used to inves... more In this work a simplified observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) approach is used to investigate which Argo design sampling in the Mediterranean Sea would be necessary to properly capture the mesoscale dynamics in this basin. The monitoring of the mesoscale features is not an initial objective of the Argo network. However, it is an interesting question from the perspective of future network extensions in order to improve the ocean state estimates. The true field used to conduct the OSSEs is provided by a specific altimetry-gridded merged product for the Mediterranean Sea. Synthetic observations were obtained by sub-sampling this "Nature Run" according to different configurations of the ARGO network. The observation errors required to perform the OSSEs were obtained through the comparison of sea level anomalies (SLAs) from altimetry and dynamic height anomalies (DHAs) computed from the real in situ Argo network. This analysis also contributes to validate satellite SLAs with an increased confidence. The simulation experiments show that a configuration similar to the current Argo array in the Mediterranean (with a spatial resolution of 2 • × 2 • ) is only able to recover the large-scale signals of the basin. Increasing the spatial resolution to nearly 75 km × 75 km, allows the capture of most of the mesoscale signal in the basin and to retrieve the SLA field with a RMSE of 3 cm for spatial scales larger than 150 km, similar to those presently captured by the altimetry. This would represent a theoretical reduction of 40 % of the actual RMSE. Such a high-resolution Argo array composed of around 450 floats, cycling every 10 days, is expected to increase the actual network cost by approximately a factor of 6.
Bio-physical glider measurements from a unique process-oriented experiment in the Eastern Alboran... more Bio-physical glider measurements from a unique process-oriented experiment in the Eastern Alboran Sea (AlborEx) allowed us to observe the distribution of the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) across an intense density front, with a resolution (∼ 400 m) suitable for investigating sub-mesoscale dynamics. This front, at the interface between Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, had a sharp density gradient (∆ρ ∼ 1 kg/m 3 in ∼ 10 km) and showed imprints of (sub-)mesoscale phenomena on tracer distributions. Specifically, the chlorophyll-a concentration within the DCM showed a disrupted pattern along isopycnal surfaces, with patches bearing a relationship to the stratification (buoyancy frequency) at depths between 30 and 60 m.
The MESCLA approach: a MyOcean R&D proposal The MESCLA project, funded in the framework of the My... more The MESCLA approach: a MyOcean R&D proposal The MESCLA project, funded in the framework of the MyOcean 2009 R&D Call, is focused on the estimation and analysis of the vertical exchanges associated with mesoscale dynamics and of their interannual variability. MESCLA aims at: (1) Applying QG diagnostics to MyOcean products (model and observation based). (2) Comparing its results with corresponding primitive equation solutions. (3) Testing alternative techniques to combine satellite and in situ observations. through combined model, satellite and in situ data. Preliminary results of the MESCLA project Introduction: importance of vertical motion Method for estimating QG vertical velocities Omega equation. Vector Q formulation Adaptation of the Omega equation to MyOcean products Vertical motion associated with mesoscale and sub-mesoscale oceanic features is of fundamental importance for the exchanges of heat, fresh water and biogeochemical tracers between the surface and the ocean interior. Unfortunately, direct measurements of the vertical velocity are difficult to obtain for usual values (order 10's m/day). Various indirect methodologies have thus been proposed to estimate vertical velocity from observed density and geostrophic velocity fields. The most used technique is based on the solution of the quasi-geostrophic (QG) Omega equation.
The AlborEX (Alboran Sea Experiment) consisted of a multi-platform, multi-disciplinary experiment... more The AlborEX (Alboran Sea Experiment) consisted of a multi-platform, multi-disciplinary experiment carried out in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) between 25 and 31 May 2014. The observational component of AlborEx aimed to sample the physical and biogeochemical properties of oceanographic features present along an intense frontal zone, with a particular interest in the vertical motions in its vicinity. To this end, the mission included 1 research vessel (66 profiles), 2 underwater gliders (adding up 552 profiles), 3 profiling floats, and 25 surface drifters. Near real-time ADCP velocities were collected nightly and during the CTD sections. All of the profiling floats acquired temperature and conductivity profiles, while the Provor-bio float also measured oxygen and chlorophyll a concentrations, coloured dissolved organic matter, backscattering at 700 nm, downwelling irradiance at 380, 410, and 490 nm, as well as photo-synthetically active radiation (PAR). In the context of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale interactions, the AlborEX dataset constitutes a particularly valuable source of information to infer mechanisms, evaluate vertical transport, and establish relationships between the thermal and haline structures and the biogeochemical variable evolution, in a region characterised by strong horizontal gradients provoked by the confluence of Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, thanks to its multi-platform, multi-disciplinary nature. The dataset presented in this paper can be used for the validation of high-resolution numerical models or for data assimilation experiment, thanks to the various scales of processes sampled during the cruise.
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, Sep 1, 2011
In this work a new methodology is proposed to correct the thermal lag error in data from unpumped... more In this work a new methodology is proposed to correct the thermal lag error in data from unpumped CTD sensors installed on Slocum gliders. The advantage of the new approach is twofold: first, it takes into account the variable speed of the glider; and second, it can be applied to CTD profiles from an autonomous platform either with or without a reference cast. The proposed methodology finds values for four correction parameters that minimize the area between two temperature-salinity curves given by two CTD profiles. A field experiment with a Slocum glider and a standard CTD was conducted to test the method. Thermal lag-induced salinity error of about 0.3 psu was found and successfully corrected.
Inferring the full three-dimensional (3D) dynamics of structures belonging to the meso-and submes... more Inferring the full three-dimensional (3D) dynamics of structures belonging to the meso-and submesoscale is still challenging for both in situ and remote observations. A significant improvement in satellite altimetry is expected thanks to the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission (Morrow et al., 2019). Through geostrophy, horizontal velocities can be easily estimated by computing the gradients of the sea surface height or the dynamic height (Le Traon & Morrow, 2001). Additional derivations are needed to determine the vertical velocity, w. Despite their small magnitude, vertical exchanges have a fundamental contribution to air-sea interactions and carbon sequestration through the physical carbon pump (Iudicone et al., 2011). Furthermore, the vertical transport of tracers is essential from a biogeochemical perspective. Since direct measurements of w are limited and require specialized instrumentation (D'Asaro, 2003), the commonly accepted procedure is to compute it through an indirect diagnostic.
The OceanGliders program started in 2016 to support active coordination and enhancement of global... more The OceanGliders program started in 2016 to support active coordination and enhancement of global glider activity. OceanGliders contributes to the international efforts of the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) for Climate, Ocean Health, and Operational Services. It brings together marine scientists and engineers operating gliders around the world: (1) to observe the long-term physical, biogeochemical, and biological ocean processes and phenomena that are relevant for societal applications; and, (2) to contribute to the GOOS through real-time and delayed mode data dissemination. The OceanGliders program is distributed across national and regional observing systems and significantly contributes to integrated, multi-scale and multi-platform sampling strategies. OceanGliders shares best practices, requirements, and scientific knowledge needed for glider operations, data collection and analysis. It also monitors global glider activity and supports the dissemination of glider data th...
We present a complete set of freely available MATLAB/Octave scripts called the SOCIB Glider Toolb... more We present a complete set of freely available MATLAB/Octave scripts called the SOCIB Glider Toolbox (). This new toolbox automates glider data processing functions, including thermal lag correction, quality control and graphical outputs. While the scientific value of the glider platform has been proven, the experience for the glider data user is far from perfect or routine. Over the last 10 years, ocean gliders have evolved such that they are now considered a core component of multi-platform observing systems and multi-disciplinary process studies ; we now have a generic processing system that appropriately complements glider capability. In an ideal world, a simple connection to a glider would provide oceanographic data ready for scientific application in an intuitive, familiar format; the reality has been somewhat different. Up till now users have faced several timeconsuming tasks that prevent them from directly and efficiently extracting new oceanographic knowledge from the acquired data. The SOCIB glider toolbox covers all stages of the data management process, including: metadata aggregation, raw data download, data processing, data correction and the automatic generation of data products and figures. It is designed to be operated either in real-time or in delayed mode, and to process data from two of the most widely
This paper presents a detailed diagnostic analysis of hydrographic and current meter data from th... more This paper presents a detailed diagnostic analysis of hydrographic and current meter data from three, rapidly repeated, fine-scale surveys of the Almeria-Oran front. Mediterranean origin, is shown to provide a mechanism for significant heat transfer from the surface layers to the deep ocean in winter. The data were collected during the second observational phase of the EU funded OMEGA project on RRS Discovery cruise 224 during December 1996. High resolution hydrographic measurements using the towed undulating CTD vehicle, SeaSoar,. traced the subduction of Mediterranean Surface Water across the Almeria-Oran front. This subduction is shown to result from a significant baroclinic component to the instability of the frontal jet. The Qvector formulation of the omega equation is combined with a scale analysis to quantitatively diagnose vertical transport resulting from mesoscale ageostrophic circulation. The analyses are presented and discussed in the presence of satellite and airborne remotely sensed data; which provide the basis for a thorough and novel approach to the determination of observational error.
Journal Of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Apr 1, 2019
Eight years of glider data are used to characterize the temporal and spatial variability of a reg... more Eight years of glider data are used to characterize the temporal and spatial variability of a region in the western Mediterranean that will constitute one of the targets for the calibration phase of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission. The characteristic horizontal dimension of mesoscale instabilities in the Mallorca channel is 6.0 km. The temporal evolution of intermediate water masses is dominated by an increase over time of the characteristic temperature values. Western Mediterranean and Levantine Intermediate waters display an increase of the temperature extrema of 0.064 ± 0.002 and 0.044 ± 0.002 • C/year between 2011 and 2018, respectively. At the layer of Levantine Intermediate water the salinity temporal regression reveals a mean trend of 0.010 year -1 . Temperature annual cycle shows an averaged temperature gradient of ∼6 • C in 6 months at the upper layer, with a disconnection with the annual cycle at 100-m depth. The circulation across the channel is dominated by high-frequency variability. The signature of eddies with radius ranging from 5 to 18 km is apparent in 16% of the transects analyzed and mainly in spring and summer, with a dominance of subsurface cyclonic eddies. Two-way flow controls the annual cycle of the water transport through the channel with prevalence of the inflow of Atlantic water. Variations of water transport over timescales of weeks to months can be similar to those identifiable as seasonal changes.
Satellite altimetry measurements from SARAL-AltiKa are analysed in the coastal ocean using the re... more Satellite altimetry measurements from SARAL-AltiKa are analysed in the coastal ocean using the results of the G-AltiKa mission (1 to 5 August 2013), which combined altimeter, HF radar and glider data coincident with the satellite track, south-west of Ibiza Island, in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The absolute dynamic topography, computed from 1 Hz and 40 Hz altimetry data, and the dynamic height, computed from glider temperature and salinity, both exhibited a weak signal with amplitudes of order 2 cm. The resulting geostrophic and HF radar velocities along the track depicted a northwestward coastal current with a maximal velocity larger than 20 cm s -1 .
The 48th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics took place from the 23 to the 27 May, 2... more The 48th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics took place from the 23 to the 27 May, 2016, in the Academic Room of the University of Liège (Belgium). Every year, the Colloquium addresses a cutting-edge topic in Ocean Science with the goal to foster discussions and collaborations among scientists from all around the world. This edition aimed to advance our collective understanding of submesoscale processes, their mechanistic functioning, relevance, and implications across a range of oceanic disciplines. Discussions included observational, modeling, and theoretical approaches for elucidating submesoscale phenomena. This 48th edition was a success with 199 participants (Fig. ) from 25 countries, 72 oral presentations, 8 keynote talks, and 143 posters, distributed over 7 topical sessions. All sessions are represented in the present topical collection of Ocean Dynamics. The topical collection includes four papers from this session. present microstructure measurements on the North Carolina shelf and across the Gulf Stream front. The vertical eddy diffusivity is described from these measurements and parameterization of the diffusivity for various mesoscale dynamical conditions was proposed. Nagai and Clayton (2017) study nitrate interleaving structures in oligotrophic surface waters south of the Kuroshio
Journal Of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Mar 1, 2022
Ocean fronts are narrow zones with strong horizontal gradients of density (ρ), and frequently aff... more Ocean fronts are narrow zones with strong horizontal gradients of density (ρ), and frequently affected by surface convergence and enhance vertical shear. Their surface expression may be evident or subdued, and their size and location may evolve rapidly over a timescale of days . These ocean fronts may act as a boundary between water masses with different physical and bio-optical characteristics. In the frontal zone, vertical motions occur on one or both sides of the front, where upward and downward transport occurs toward or away from the sunlit surface. The fronts at the mesoscale and submesoscale levels induce ageostrophic secondary circulation (ASC) and the transport of tracers and, properties across the mixed layer
In this work a simplified observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) approach is used to inves... more In this work a simplified observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) approach is used to investigate which Argo design sampling in the Mediterranean Sea would be necessary to properly capture the mesoscale dynamics in this basin. The monitoring of the mesoscale features is not an initial objective of the Argo network. However, it is an interesting question from the perspective of future network extensions in order to improve the ocean state estimates. The true field used to conduct the OSSEs is provided by a specific altimetry-gridded merged product for the Mediterranean Sea. Synthetic observations were obtained by sub-sampling this "Nature Run" according to different configurations of the ARGO network. The observation errors required to perform the OSSEs were obtained through the comparison of sea level anomalies (SLAs) from altimetry and dynamic height anomalies (DHAs) computed from the real in situ Argo network. This analysis also contributes to validate satellite SLAs with an increased confidence. The simulation experiments show that a configuration similar to the current Argo array in the Mediterranean (with a spatial resolution of 2 • × 2 • ) is only able to recover the large-scale signals of the basin. Increasing the spatial resolution to nearly 75 km × 75 km, allows the capture of most of the mesoscale signal in the basin and to retrieve the SLA field with a RMSE of 3 cm for spatial scales larger than 150 km, similar to those presently captured by the altimetry. This would represent a theoretical reduction of 40 % of the actual RMSE. Such a high-resolution Argo array composed of around 450 floats, cycling every 10 days, is expected to increase the actual network cost by approximately a factor of 6.
Bio-physical glider measurements from a unique process-oriented experiment in the Eastern Alboran... more Bio-physical glider measurements from a unique process-oriented experiment in the Eastern Alboran Sea (AlborEx) allowed us to observe the distribution of the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) across an intense density front, with a resolution (∼ 400 m) suitable for investigating sub-mesoscale dynamics. This front, at the interface between Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, had a sharp density gradient (∆ρ ∼ 1 kg/m 3 in ∼ 10 km) and showed imprints of (sub-)mesoscale phenomena on tracer distributions. Specifically, the chlorophyll-a concentration within the DCM showed a disrupted pattern along isopycnal surfaces, with patches bearing a relationship to the stratification (buoyancy frequency) at depths between 30 and 60 m.
The MESCLA approach: a MyOcean R&D proposal The MESCLA project, funded in the framework of the My... more The MESCLA approach: a MyOcean R&D proposal The MESCLA project, funded in the framework of the MyOcean 2009 R&D Call, is focused on the estimation and analysis of the vertical exchanges associated with mesoscale dynamics and of their interannual variability. MESCLA aims at: (1) Applying QG diagnostics to MyOcean products (model and observation based). (2) Comparing its results with corresponding primitive equation solutions. (3) Testing alternative techniques to combine satellite and in situ observations. through combined model, satellite and in situ data. Preliminary results of the MESCLA project Introduction: importance of vertical motion Method for estimating QG vertical velocities Omega equation. Vector Q formulation Adaptation of the Omega equation to MyOcean products Vertical motion associated with mesoscale and sub-mesoscale oceanic features is of fundamental importance for the exchanges of heat, fresh water and biogeochemical tracers between the surface and the ocean interior. Unfortunately, direct measurements of the vertical velocity are difficult to obtain for usual values (order 10's m/day). Various indirect methodologies have thus been proposed to estimate vertical velocity from observed density and geostrophic velocity fields. The most used technique is based on the solution of the quasi-geostrophic (QG) Omega equation.
The AlborEX (Alboran Sea Experiment) consisted of a multi-platform, multi-disciplinary experiment... more The AlborEX (Alboran Sea Experiment) consisted of a multi-platform, multi-disciplinary experiment carried out in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) between 25 and 31 May 2014. The observational component of AlborEx aimed to sample the physical and biogeochemical properties of oceanographic features present along an intense frontal zone, with a particular interest in the vertical motions in its vicinity. To this end, the mission included 1 research vessel (66 profiles), 2 underwater gliders (adding up 552 profiles), 3 profiling floats, and 25 surface drifters. Near real-time ADCP velocities were collected nightly and during the CTD sections. All of the profiling floats acquired temperature and conductivity profiles, while the Provor-bio float also measured oxygen and chlorophyll a concentrations, coloured dissolved organic matter, backscattering at 700 nm, downwelling irradiance at 380, 410, and 490 nm, as well as photo-synthetically active radiation (PAR). In the context of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale interactions, the AlborEX dataset constitutes a particularly valuable source of information to infer mechanisms, evaluate vertical transport, and establish relationships between the thermal and haline structures and the biogeochemical variable evolution, in a region characterised by strong horizontal gradients provoked by the confluence of Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, thanks to its multi-platform, multi-disciplinary nature. The dataset presented in this paper can be used for the validation of high-resolution numerical models or for data assimilation experiment, thanks to the various scales of processes sampled during the cruise.
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, Sep 1, 2011
In this work a new methodology is proposed to correct the thermal lag error in data from unpumped... more In this work a new methodology is proposed to correct the thermal lag error in data from unpumped CTD sensors installed on Slocum gliders. The advantage of the new approach is twofold: first, it takes into account the variable speed of the glider; and second, it can be applied to CTD profiles from an autonomous platform either with or without a reference cast. The proposed methodology finds values for four correction parameters that minimize the area between two temperature-salinity curves given by two CTD profiles. A field experiment with a Slocum glider and a standard CTD was conducted to test the method. Thermal lag-induced salinity error of about 0.3 psu was found and successfully corrected.
Inferring the full three-dimensional (3D) dynamics of structures belonging to the meso-and submes... more Inferring the full three-dimensional (3D) dynamics of structures belonging to the meso-and submesoscale is still challenging for both in situ and remote observations. A significant improvement in satellite altimetry is expected thanks to the upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission (Morrow et al., 2019). Through geostrophy, horizontal velocities can be easily estimated by computing the gradients of the sea surface height or the dynamic height (Le Traon & Morrow, 2001). Additional derivations are needed to determine the vertical velocity, w. Despite their small magnitude, vertical exchanges have a fundamental contribution to air-sea interactions and carbon sequestration through the physical carbon pump (Iudicone et al., 2011). Furthermore, the vertical transport of tracers is essential from a biogeochemical perspective. Since direct measurements of w are limited and require specialized instrumentation (D'Asaro, 2003), the commonly accepted procedure is to compute it through an indirect diagnostic.
The OceanGliders program started in 2016 to support active coordination and enhancement of global... more The OceanGliders program started in 2016 to support active coordination and enhancement of global glider activity. OceanGliders contributes to the international efforts of the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) for Climate, Ocean Health, and Operational Services. It brings together marine scientists and engineers operating gliders around the world: (1) to observe the long-term physical, biogeochemical, and biological ocean processes and phenomena that are relevant for societal applications; and, (2) to contribute to the GOOS through real-time and delayed mode data dissemination. The OceanGliders program is distributed across national and regional observing systems and significantly contributes to integrated, multi-scale and multi-platform sampling strategies. OceanGliders shares best practices, requirements, and scientific knowledge needed for glider operations, data collection and analysis. It also monitors global glider activity and supports the dissemination of glider data th...
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