Orchestra (Ocean Regulation of Climate by Heat and Carbon Sequestration and Transports)
Advancing understanding of and capability to predict the ocean’s impact on climate change.
ORCHESTRA is combining data collection, analysis and computer simulations to radically improve our ability to measure, understand and predict the circulation of the Southern Ocean. By improving current models, ORCHESTRA will address uncertainties regarding the uptake and storage of heat and carbon by the ocean and how this influences global climate.
Led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), in partnership with:
- National Oceanography Centre (NOC)
- British Geological Survey (BGS)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
- Sea Mammal Research Unit
- CPOM
The Antarctic polar seas are regions of complex interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and cryosphere, affecting the stability of the ice sheet, sea ice cover, Earth’s albedo, and the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water which ventilates much of the global ocean. Increased freshwater discharge from Antarctica and decadal changes in atmospheric forcing, linked partly to greenhouse gas emissions, are now altering the Southern Ocean, but our understanding of the impacts is extremely limited due to the complexity of obtaining satellite observations in the presence of near-perennial sea ice.
The role of CPOM
CPOM is supporting ORCHESTRA by creating and analysing satellite observations of sea ice and ocean topography in the ice-covered Southern Ocean, providing unique data on the dynamics of the region. Combining these with numerical simulations has improved our understanding of ocean circulation and the nature of air-sea exchanges.
Update
In 2023, ORCHESTRA’s studies revealed a range of observations including the effect of surfactants on the Southern Ocean’s carbon exchange, the impact of warming Antarctic waters on water flow and climate and contributed to advancing computational models to better predict ocean heat absorption and identify vulnerable Antarctic regions. They also observed how changes in sea ice, including the A68a iceberg, also influence global climate dynamics.
