36 North
Project overview
The 36 North programme aims to investigate and understand the influences on global climate regulation, with a focus on the current role of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre — a large, permanent, circular rotation of surface ocean water.
It will seek to further understand the mechanisms which control the heat transport, nutrient and carbon budgets of the North Atlantic Ocean. This will impact on our understanding of how the ocean is warming, phytoplankton growth and how oceans uptake CO2.
This project brings together scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS), the University of Liverpool, the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The main aims include
- To examine how nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon bugets are closed.
- To examine how nutrient and carbon budgets are controlled.
- To assess the heat flux across the 36 N section (and poleward using
World Climate Circulation Experiment (WOCE) data).
This will be achieved by
- A detailed, hydrographic survey along 36N with a complete biogeochemical analysis of data collected during RRS Charles Darwin cruise 1 May – 15 June 2005 (CD171).
- The development and application of inverse and coupled biogeochemical, isopycnic circulation models.
- Comparison with historical data collected by RRS Discovery during 4 April – 10 May 2004 (D279).
- Comparison with three additional North Atlantic cruises undertaken in 2004/2005, funded under the Rapid Climate Change (RAPID) and Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) programmes.
The project will run from 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2008 and is funded by a Natural Environment Research Council consortium grant (NER/O/S/2003/00628).
BODC is responsible for the long-term stewardship of the data resulting from the project. The data will be stored in our databases and will eventually become a part of a pool of data available to anyone interested in oceanographic research.
Related 36 North pages at BODC
| Contents | Data inventories | |
| BODC's role | Data delivery | |
| Data submission | Other links | |
| BODC processing |
Related BODC pages
| Rapid Climate Change (RAPID) | World Climate Circulation Experiment (WOCE) | |
| Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) | UK research cruise inventory |
Related external links
| Official 36 North web site | Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) | |
| National Oceanography Centre (NOC) | University of East Anglia (UEA) | |
| University of Liverpool | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) |
