SOFIA – Southern Ocean Fine-Scale Interactions with the Atmosphere
Short description
Despite the Southern Ocean’s central role, we don’t have a grasp on how heat moves from the atmosphere into the surface ocean and, critically, down to greater depths, where the heat is stored for centuries. This knowledge deficit leads to uncertainties about the ocean's continued capacity to provide this essential climate service.
The SOFIA project aims to investigate how air-sea interactions impact ocean heat uptake in the region.
The goal is to deliver the first Southern Ocean-wide view of observed vertical heat transport, linking ocean temperature changes and climate-scale forcing in order to get one step closer to understanding how the ocean and atmosphere interact to regulate our climate.
Facts ERC Starting Grant
ERC Starting Grants are awarded talented early-career scientists who has already produced excellent supervised work, and show potential to be a research leaders.
Recipient: Marcel du Plessis, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg.
Funder: European Research Council, ERC
Project title: Southern Ocean Fine-Scale Interactions with the Atmosphere (SOFIA)
Amount: 2.5 million euros
Duration: 5 years
The University of Gothenburg is contributing with a strategic co-financing of SEK 3.75 million to the research project, which will greatly assist the project, including the icebreaker expedition to the remote Southern Ocean.
Total amount: Approximately SEK 29 million