[AO announcement] EGU 2012 - The Southern Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System

[Heywood Karen Prof (ENV)]

Apologies if you got this already....

Abstracts are due soon for EGU 22nd-27th April 2012 in Vienna.  I hope you will consider our session below as a good place to showcase your Southern Ocean science!

OS1.4  The Southern Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System

Convener: Y. H. Park
Co-Conveners: R. Timmermann, K. J. Heywood

The Southern Ocean plays an essential role in hemispheric and global ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycles, and climate. Complex interactions occur between the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and marine organisms, with significant impacts on the carbon cycle, regional ecosystems, future climate change and sea level rise. The Southern Ocean is a critical sink for anthropogenic carbon dioxide, but recent reports have suggested that this sink may be weakening, due to changes in its overturning circulation. This remains a topic of active debate. The Southern Ocean is warming more rapidly than the global ocean as a whole, due to mechanisms that are not yet fully determined. Progress requires long-term observations, but the Southern Ocean is remote and hostile, and the paucity of comprehensive datasets makes hypotheses regarding the impact of Southern Ocean processes on the adjacent ice sheet, ecosystems and climate difficult to validate. Recent technological developments are beginning to give unprecedented insight into the role of the Southern Ocean in the global system, including autonomous floats and gliders, animal-borne sensors, new and more accurate satellite systems, and refined numerical models. This session aims to bring together modellers and observers to assess the current state of knowledge concerning the role of the Southern Ocean in the global climate system, and to exchange ideas concerning how to further such understanding.

Abstract deadline 15th December for early career scientists seeking support, or 17th January for the rest of us. See http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2012/home.html for more info.

Please forward on to relevant communities.

Hope to see you in Vienna!

Young-Hyang, Ralph and Karen

Professor Karen J. Heywood
Physical Oceanographer
School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia
Norwich NR4 7TJ
-44-1603-592555
k.heywood at uea.ac.uk