5 September 2024 | 10:00 – 10:40 CET | Online

Please join us for this Climate Coffee with Mathilde Helbert on Temporal and spatial length scales in δ18O observations!

Abstract

This study presents an analysis conducted to determine the length scales of oxygen isotope (δ18O) variations in the surface ocean based on observational data. The findings reveal the presence of three length scales depending on the segment length being analyzed. These length scales are categorized as eddy scale (typically 100-300 km), intermediate scale (500-700 km), and gyre scale (1000-1500 km). The spatial distribution of the decorrelation length scales highlights the widespread presence of eddies in the Southern Ocean. In contrast, the longer length scales illustrate the zonal characteristics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the structure of the Ross and Weddell gyres. The observed differences in spatial patterns indicate that at the largest scales, the decorrelation length scales are anisotropic, with meridional scales mainly reflecting the circumpolar current and northward scales indicating the spread of Subantarctic Mode Waters.

About Mathilde

Mathilde is a Master’s student in Physical Oceanography at the University of Bergen. She is a Marine Engineer who chose to specialize in Physical Oceanography through a research Master in Bergen. During her engineering Master’s thesis, she worked for the European project OCEAN:ICE and developed a model to track the oxygen isotopes emerging from the melting of the ice sheets in Antarctica. She is now working on basal melting beneath the Fimbul Ice Shelf as part of her Master’s thesis in Bergen and will continue on this path in the future through a PhD program.