EN-551 NOAA Western Boundary Time Series expedition

The Western Boundary Time Series (WBTS) project, funded by NOAA AOML, carries out a sustained monitoring effort of the volume transport and seawater properties of the western boundary currents in the subtropical North Atlantic: the northward flowing Florida Current, which is part of the Gulf Stream as it passes through the Straits of Florida from the southernmost Florida Keys to the northernmost Bahamas Islands; and the near-surface northward Antilles Current and the southward Deep Western Boundary Current that are both found to the east of the Bahamas. The project is led by PI's Molly Baringer and Denis Volkov, and I was invited to assist in the operation and deployment of CTDs, XBTs, LADCPs, and echosounders through the duration of cruise EN-551. The main objectives of the WBTS project are 1. Monitor the volume transport of the Florida Current, 2. Observe changes in water mass properties in the Straits of Florida, 3. Monitor the near-surface Antilles Current and the Deep Western Boundary Current, and associated water mass properties, and 4. Serve as a western boundary endpoint of a subtropical meridional overturning circulation/heat transport monitoring system. These boundary currents are important parts othe Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the WBTS project plays an important role in long term monitoring of the circulation and stability of the AMOC which gives us information on how it is changing over time, and is an important factor in understanding impacts of climate change on our oceans and global currents.