Robbins Pelle E.

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Autonomous and Lagrangian ocean observations for Atlantic tropical cyclone studies and forecasts

(Oceanography Society, 2017-06) Goni, Gustavo J. ; Todd, Robert E. ; Jayne, Steven R. ; Halliwell, George R. ; Glenn, Scott ; Dong, Jili ; Curry, Ruth G. ; Domingues, Ricardo ; Bringas, Francis ; Centurioni, Luca R. ; DiMarco, Steven F. ; Miles, Travis ; Morell, Julio M. ; Pomales, Luis ; Kim, Hyun-Sook ; Robbins, Pelle E. ; Gawarkiewicz, Glen G. ; Wilkin, John L. ; Heiderich, Joleen ; Baltes, Rebecca ; Cione, Joseph J. ; Seroka, Greg ; Knee, Kelly ; Sanabia, Elizabeth

The tropical Atlantic basin is one of seven global regions where tropical cyclones (TCs) commonly originate, intensify, and affect highly populated coastal areas. Under appropriate atmospheric conditions, TC intensification can be linked to upper-ocean properties. Errors in Atlantic TC intensification forecasts have not been significantly reduced during the last 25 years. The combined use of in situ and satellite observations, particularly of temperature and salinity ahead of TCs, has the potential to improve the representation of the ocean, more accurately initialize hurricane intensity forecast models, and identify areas where TCs may intensify. However, a sustained in situ ocean observing system in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea dedicated to measuring subsurface temperature, salinity, and density fields in support of TC intensity studies and forecasts has yet to be designed and implemented. Autonomous and Lagrangian platforms and sensors offer cost-effective opportunities to accomplish this objective. Here, we highlight recent efforts to use autonomous platforms and sensors, including surface drifters, profiling floats, underwater gliders, and dropsondes, to better understand air-sea processes during high-wind events, particularly those geared toward improving hurricane intensity forecasts. Real-time data availability is key for assimilation into numerical weather forecast models.
The air-launched autonomous micro observer

(American Meteorological Society, 2022-04-01) Jayne, Steven R. ; Owens, W. Brechner ; Robbins, Pelle E. ; Ekholm, Alexander K. ; Bogue, Neil M. ; Sanabia, Elizabeth

The Air-Launched Autonomous Micro Observer (ALAMO) is a versatile profiling float that can be launched from an aircraft to make temperature and salinity observations of the upper ocean for over a year with high temporal sampling. Similar in dimensions and weight to an airborne expendable bathythermograph (AXBT), but with the same capability as Argo profiling floats, ALAMOs can be deployed from an A-sized (sonobuoy) launch tube, the stern ramp of a cargo plane, or the door of a small aircraft. Unlike an AXBT, however, the ALAMO float directly measures pressure, can incorporate additional sensors, and is capable of performing hundreds of ocean profiles compared to the single temperature profile provided by an AXBT. Upon deployment, the float parachutes to the ocean, releases the air-deployment package, and immediately begins profiling. Ocean profile data along with position and engineering information are transmitted via the Iridium satellite network, automatically processed, and then distributed by the Global Telecommunications System for use by the operational forecasting community. The ALAMO profiling mission can be modified using the two-way Iridium communications to change the profiling frequency and depth. Example observations are included to demonstrate the ALAMO’s utility.
Results of the first Arctic Heat Open Science Experiment

(American Meteorological Society, 2018-04-19) Wood, Kevin R. ; Jayne, Steven R. ; Mordy, Calvin W. ; Bond, Nicholas A. ; Overland, James E. ; Ladd, Carol ; Stabeno, Phyllis J. ; Ekholm, Alexander K. ; Robbins, Pelle E. ; Schreck, Mary-Beth ; Heim, Rebecca ; Intrieri, Janet

Seasonally ice-covered marginal seas are among the most difficult regions in the Arctic to study. Physical constraints imposed by the variable presence of sea ice in all stages of growth and melt make the upper water column and air–sea ice interface especially challenging to observe. At the same time, the flow of solar energy through Alaska’s marginal seas is one of the most important regulators of their weather and climate, sea ice cover, and ecosystems. The deficiency of observing systems in these areas hampers forecast services in the region and is a major contributor to large uncertainties in modeling and related climate projections. The Arctic Heat Open Science Experiment strives to fill this observation gap with an array of innovative autonomous floats and other near-real-time weather and ocean sensing systems. These capabilities allow continuous monitoring of the seasonally evolving state of the Chukchi Sea, including its heat content. Data collected by this project are distributed in near–real time on project websites and on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS), with the objectives of (i) providing timely delivery of observations for use in weather and sea ice forecasts, for model, and for reanalysis applications and (ii) supporting ongoing research activities across disciplines. This research supports improved forecast services that protect and enhance the safety and economic viability of maritime and coastal community activities in Alaska. Data are free and open to all (see www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-heat/).
Argo data 1999-2019: two million temperature-salinity profiles and subsurface velocity observations from a global array of profiling floats.

(Frontiers Media, 2020-09-15) Wong, Annie P. S. ; Wijffels, Susan E. ; Riser, Stephen C. ; Pouliquen, Sylvie ; Hosoda, Shigeki ; Roemmich, Dean ; Gilson, John ; Johnson, Gregory C. ; Martini, Kim I. ; Murphy, David J. ; Scanderbeg, Megan ; Udaya Bhaskar, T. V. S. ; Buck, Justin J. H. ; Merceur, Frederic ; Carval, Thierry ; Maze, Guillaume ; Cabanes, Cécile ; André, Xavier ; Poffa, Noé ; Yashayaev, Igor ; Barker, Paul M. ; Guinehut, Stéphanie ; Belbeoch, Mathieu ; Ignaszewski, Mark ; Baringer, Molly O. ; Schmid, Claudia ; Lyman, John ; McTaggart, Kristene E. ; Purkey, Sarah G. ; Zilberman, Nathalie ; Alkire, Matthew ; Swift, Dana ; Owens, W. Brechner ; Jayne, Steven R. ; Hersh, Cora ; Robbins, Pelle E. ; West-Mack, Deb ; Bahr, Frank B. ; Yoshida, Sachiko ; Sutton, Philip J. H. ; Cancouët, Romain ; Coatanoan, Christine ; Dobbler, Delphine ; Garcia Juan, Andrea ; Gourrion, Jérôme ; Kolodziejczyk, Nicolas ; Bernard, Vincent ; Bourlès, Bernard ; Claustre, Hervé ; d’Ortenzio, Fabrizio ; Le Reste, Serge ; Le Traon, Pierre-Yves ; Rannou, Jean-Philippe ; Saout-Grit, Carole ; Speich, Sabrina ; Thierry, Virginie ; Verbrugge, Nathalie ; Angel-Benavides, Ingrid M. ; Klein, Birgit ; Notarstefano, Giulio ; Poulain, Pierre Marie ; Vélez-Belchí, Pedro ; Suga, Toshio ; Ando, Kentaro ; Iwasaska, Naoto ; Kobayashi, Taiyo ; Masuda, Shuhei ; Oka, Eitarou ; Sato, Kanako ; Nakamura, Tomoaki ; Sato, Katsunari ; Takatsuki, Yasushi ; Yoshida, Takashi ; Cowley, Rebecca ; Lovell, Jenny L. ; Oke, Peter ; van Wijk, Esmee ; Carse, Fiona ; Donnelly, Matthew ; Gould, W. John ; Gowers, Katie ; King, Brian A. ; Loch, Stephen G. ; Mowat, Mary ; Turton, Jon ; Pattabhi Rama Rao, Eluri ; Ravichandran, M. ; Freeland, Howard ; Gaboury, Isabelle ; Gilbert, Denis ; Greenan, Blair J. W. ; Ouellet, Mathieu ; Ross, Tetjana ; Tran, Anh ; Dong, Mingmei ; Liu, Zenghong ; Xu, Jianping ; Kang, KiRyong ; Jo, HyeongJun ; Kim, Sung-Dae ; Park, Hyuk-Min

In the past two decades, the Argo Program has collected, processed, and distributed over two million vertical profiles of temperature and salinity from the upper two kilometers of the global ocean. A similar number of subsurface velocity observations near 1,000 dbar have also been collected. This paper recounts the history of the global Argo Program, from its aspiration arising out of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, to the development and implementation of its instrumentation and telecommunication systems, and the various technical problems encountered. We describe the Argo data system and its quality control procedures, and the gradual changes in the vertical resolution and spatial coverage of Argo data from 1999 to 2019. The accuracies of the float data have been assessed by comparison with high-quality shipboard measurements, and are concluded to be 0.002°C for temperature, 2.4 dbar for pressure, and 0.01 PSS-78 for salinity, after delayed-mode adjustments. Finally, the challenges faced by the vision of an expanding Argo Program beyond 2020 are discussed.
Using existing Argo trajectories to statistically predict future float positions with a transition matrix

(American Meteorological Society, 2023-09-01) Chamberlain, Paul ; Talley, Lynne D. ; Mazloff, Matthew R. ; van Sebille, Erik ; Gille, Sarah T. ; Tucker, Tyler ; Scanderbeg, Megan ; Robbins, Pelle

The Argo array provides nearly 4000 temperature and salinity profiles of the top 2000 m of the ocean every 10 days. Still, Argo floats will never be able to measure the ocean at all times, everywhere. Optimized Argo float distributions should match the spatial and temporal variability of the many societally important ocean features that they observe. Determining these distributions is challenging because float advection is difficult to predict. Using no external models, transition matrices based on existing Argo trajectories provide statistical inferences about Argo float motion. We use the 24 years of Argo locations to construct an optimal transition matrix that minimizes estimation bias and uncertainty. The optimal array is determined to have a 2° × 2° spatial resolution with a 90-day time step. We then use the transition matrix to predict the probability of future float locations of the core Argo array, the Global Biogeochemical Array, and the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) array. A comparison of transition matrices derived from floats using Argos system and Iridium communication methods shows the impact of surface displacements, which is most apparent near the equator. Additionally, we demonstrate the utility of transition matrices for validating models by comparing the matrix derived from Argo floats with that derived from a particle release experiment in the Southern Ocean State Estimate (SOSE).
Internal wave activity in the deep Gulf of Mexico

(Frontiers Media, 2023-11-15) Meunier, Thomas ; Le Boyer, Arnaud ; Molodtsov, Sergey ; Bower, Amy S. ; Furey, Heather H. ; Robbins, Pelle E.

Internal wave activity in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is investigated using a fleet of profiling floats. The floats continuously measured temperature and salinity as they drifted at a parking depth of 1500 dbar, allowing for the reconstruction of 2615 time series of isopycnal displacements. Thanks to the dense sampling of the eastern part of the GoM (east of 90°W), the geographical distribution of the internal waves displacement variance and available potential energy (APE) is revealed. The Loop Current (LC) influence region, between the Yucatan shelf to the west and the southern West Florida shelf to the east exhibits increased displacement variance and APE both in the continuum and near-inertial bands, while the north-eastern and central GoM show reduced internal wave activity. As the LC position fluctuates between a retracted and extended mode, we assessed the impact of the presence or absence of the LC in the increased internal wave activity region. It is shown that in the LC influence region, APE is increased (decreased) when the LC is present (absent), suggesting a strong control of the LC on deep internal waves activity. The 1500 dbar flow velocity, bottom roughness, and float altitude also seem to contribute to increased internal waves APE, but their influence is more subtle. Oppositely, no correlation with wind speed or wind intermittency is found.
Mesoscale Ocean Circulation Atlas

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2024-09-04) Wijffels, Susan E. ; Gebbie, Geoffrey A. ; Robbins, Pelle E.

Based on twenty years of Argo and ship/animal-borne/glider hydrographic profile data, we derive a new high resolution hydrographic Atlas and associated circulation field for the oceans above 2000 dbar. Satellite altimetric observations are used to explicitly regress out eddy noise in the fit, greatly reducing one of the major sources of noise. Geostrophic shears are found from the fitted geopotential anomaly fields. Ekman velocities are estimated using satellite wind stresses. Both Argo trajectory observations at 1000 dbar and surface drifter observations are used to reference geostrophic shears derived from the Atlas hydrography. Surface drifter velocities are analyzed with an additional wind-friction term to remove the wind-related flow. Agreement between the surface geostrophic (referenced to Argo trajectories) and drifter-based surface velocity is high at both large and mesoscales, lending confidence to the derived geostrophic circulation fields. The Atlas reveals standing mesoscale eddies and meanders in western boundary systems, and the braided jet structure of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. In the interior, the upper ocean flow consists of a highly baroclinic large-scale Sverdrup flow and smaller scale (~200 km width) semi-zonal jets, which are more barotropic (low vertical shear) and have an average zonal width of around 2000 km. These semi-zonal jets are globally ubiquitous - found in all basins pole-to-pole. The many permanent mesoscale features of the mean general circulation contrasts with that predicted by theories of the large-scale flow in
Deep Argo observations of Antarctic Bottom Water in the Deep Fracture Zones of the Southwest Indian Ridge

(American Geophysical Union, 2024-07-22) Menezes, Viviane V. ; Robbins, Pelle E. ; Furey, Heather H. ; Mazloff, Matthew R.

The Madagascar Basin is the primary pathway for Antarctic Bottom Water to ventilate the entire western Indian Ocean as part of the Global Overturning Circulation. The only way for this water mass to reach this basin is by crossing the Southwest Indian Ridge through its deep fracture zones. However, due to the scarcity of observations, the Antarctic Bottom Water presence has only been well-established in the Atlantis II fracture zone. In May 2023, the Deep Madagascar Basin Experiment deployed three Deep SOLO Argo floats in the exit of the fracture zones that were more likely to transport Antarctic Bottom Water: Atlantis II, Novara, and Melville. These floats have been collecting temperature and salinity profiles every 3–5 days with high vertical resolution in the deep ocean. In the present paper, we use the first 7 months of float data to characterize the Antarctic Bottom Water in the deep fracture zone area, revisiting a half-century puzzle about the Melville contribution. We also collected shipboard-based profiles to calibrate float salinity and show it is within the Deep Argo program target accuracy. We find Antarctic Bottom Water in both Melville and Novara fracture zones, not only in Atlantis II. This is the first time the Novara contribution has been revealed. The floats also uncover their distinct properties, which may result from the different mixing histories.
Resolving the ubiquitous small-scale semi-permanent features of the general ocean circulation: a multiplatform observational approach

(American Meteorological Society, 2024-12-01) Wijffels, Susan E. ; Gebbie, Geoffrey A. ; Robbins, Pelle E.

Based on 20 years of Argo and ship/animal-borne/glider hydrographic profile data, we derive a new high-resolution hydrographic Atlas and associated circulation field for the oceans above 2000 dbar. Satellite altimetric observations are used to explicitly regress out eddy noise in the fit, greatly reducing one of the major sources of noise. Geostrophic shears are found from the fitted geopotential anomaly fields. Ekman velocities are estimated using satellite wind stresses. Both Argo trajectory observations at 1000 dbar and surface drifter observations are used to reference geostrophic shears derived from the Atlas hydrography. Surface drifter velocities are analyzed with an additional wind friction term to remove the wind-related flow. Agreement between the surface geostrophic (referenced to Argo trajectories) and drifter-based surface velocity is high at both large scales and mesoscales, lending confidence to the derived geostrophic circulation fields. The Atlas reveals standing mesoscale eddies and meanders in western boundary systems and the braided jet structure of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. In the interior, the upper-ocean flow consists of a highly baroclinic large-scale Sverdrup flow and smaller-scale (∼200-km width) semizonal jets, which are more barotropic (low vertical shear) and have an average zonal width of around 5000 km. These semizonal jets are globally ubiquitous—found in all basins pole to pole. The many permanent mesoscale features of the mean general circulation contrast with that predicted by theories of the large-scale flow in simplified flat-bottomed domains. The Atlas presents a new opportunity to benchmark modern high-resolution ocean and climate models.

Robbins Pelle E.

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