Side-project in Miami (RSMAS): Comparing the RAPID mooring and satellite AVISO data to estimate Atlantic meridional overturning circulation transport
Delphine Lobelle
University of Southampton
I would firstly like to thank the Challenger Society for awarding me a grant that contributed to my travel expenses to Miami for a side-project from January to April 2018.
I started this project about a year ago while taking part in the RAPID (JC145) research cruise from Tenerife to the Bahamas (28thFeb-8thApril 2017). As well as volunteering to help with mooring and underway measurements and processing, I started comparing the surface velocity data from the Vessel-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (VMADCP) and satellite AVISO (Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic) data of six previous cruises. The promising preliminary results while on-board lead to the UK-PI of RAPID, (Principal Investigator, Dr. David Smeed) and I wanting to continue this project while back on land. I presented these results on a poster at the biannual ACSIS-OSNAP-RAPID meeting in Oxford in September and received encouraging feedback.
Since the project was not directly related to my PhD thesis work, I suspended my PhD in order to turn it into a placement at a different institute. I therefore pursued the project in collaboration with the other half of the RAPID team based at Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) in Miami. I really enjoyed working with both Prof. William (Bill) Johns at RSMAS and (and David back in Southampton) who were both not only very generous with their time but also acted as mentors, being very encouraging and supportive. I saw a large benefit in working with both the UK and US RAPID team especially while nearing the end of my PhD when building a network of international collaborators as an early career scientist is essential. Furthermore, I gained insight on being part of a research group in a U.S. oceanography institute and strengthened my understanding of physical oceanography while sitting in on some of Bill’s Large Scale Circulation lectures.
I am very grateful for the travel grant since it was an unforgettable experience and I left knowing that I had learnt a lot.
Profile:
Delphine Lobelle is a third year PhD student at the University of Southampton (co-funded by the National Physical Laboratory, London). She is investigating statistical methods to analyse interannual to decadal trends and proxies of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) transport using both observations and models.
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The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) and OceanWise are delighted to invite you to attend our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 19th – 23rd of May 2025.
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The purpose of this workshop is for the UK Ocean Science community to discuss and then draft a prospectus document outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps.
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Post meeting, the draft will be opened for comments and suggestions from everyone, regardless of whether they were able to attend the workshop or not. It will then be shared with UK funders (UKRI, FCDO, DSIT, ARIA) and potential international programmes with whom we would like to collaborate (e.g. Arctic 2050, Norway). It will form a basis from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities can be built, e.g. at the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September in Northumbria.
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Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy
The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.
The role involves:
- Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
- Soliciting and compiling input from the rest of the Council for assessing the applications
- Communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants for the two schemes
- Working with the Honorary Treasurer on allocating funds to successful applicants
- Following up with award winners on their reporting requirements
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The usual term for Council members is three years.
For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council
For more information about our Early Career Researcher grants and awards, please follow this link:
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Stepping_Stones
and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards
If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk