Science Meetings

SPURS-MIDAS Cruise in the North Atlantic Salinity Maximum, March-April 2013
Font, J., B. Ward, M. Emelianov, J. Busecke, and S. Morisset (26-Feb-14)

SPURS-MIDAS on board the Spanish R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa was a contribution to SPURS (Salinity Processes in the Upper ocean Regional Study) focused on the processes responsible for the formation and maintenance of the salinity maximum associated to the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. Scientists from Spain, Ireland, France and US sampled the mesoscale and submesoscale structures in the surface layer and deployed operational and experimental drifters and vertical profilers. Validation of salinity maps obtained from the SMOS satellite was also an objective, as well as measurements of atmospheric fluxes. The cruise included a joint workplan and coordinated sampling with the US R/V Endeavor, with contribution from SPURS teams on land in real time data and analysis exchange. Some preliminary results are presented in papers by Busecke et al. (origin of the subsurface salinity maximum) and ten Doeschate et al. (upper ocean variability from Air Sea Interaction Profiler). The SPURS-MIDAS Team: D.Alcoverro, J.Busecke, A.Castellon, M.Emelianov, E.Flo, J.Font, A.Giraldez, L.Gonzalez, S.Guimbard, O.Hernandez, A.Martinez, M.Maso, B.Moli, S.Morisset, J.Olive, M.Pastor, S.Quintana, M.Rosell, J.Salvador, G.Sutherland, A.tenDoeschate, M.Umbert, X.Vidal, K.Walesby, B.Ward, N.Yarovenko