Jian Zhao


The large-scale circulation of the ocean plays an important role in the meridional transport of water properties such as heat, freshwater, carbon, and nutrients. In the subpolar North Atlantic, the meridional heat flux is vital to maintain a relatively warm climate in Northern Europe. For the basinwide heat flux across Greenland and Scotland, much of its variability occurs in the Iceland basin, where the North Atlantic Current (NAC) carries relatively warm and salty water northward.
As a critical component of the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP), WHOI-OUC jointly deployed gliders in the Iceland Basin to continuously monitor the circulation and corresponding heat flux. Combining in-situ observations from gliders, mooring and high-resolution numerical simulations, I am trying to analyze the mesoscale activity in the Iceland Basin and evaluate how the mesoscale processes affect the meridional heat flux, ecosystem, and regional climate.