Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS)

Results from the POLEWARD program

Abstract:

During the period from 2007-2009, 150 surface drifters were
released off the west coast of Norway, to study the circulation in
the North Atlantic Current and the adjacent Nordic Seas. Using the
drifters (and others which traversed the region previously), we map
the currents and the lateral diffusivities, both of which contribute to
the redistribution of heat. We also examine how these quantities
vary with season and decade. The drifters can also be used to
quantify transit times between the southern Nordic Seas and
Spitsbergen, which is important for heat exchange with the atmosphere.
And since the drifters were launched in pairs, we can study
relative dispersion in the region and compare that to expectations
from turbulence theory. I'll give an overview of these results.