This transect runs between Cape Town and South America (Montevideo, Uruguay, or Buenos Aires, Argentina) since 2002. It is geared towards improving the current climate observing system in the South Atlantic, a region of poor data coverage. Similarly to the AX07 transect in the North Atlantic, the goal of AX18 is to monitor the meridional mass and heat transport in the upper 800m across 30°S. In addition, it provides quarterly sections across the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence region, which will be used to investigate the link of its variability with the one of the same current provided by AX97 and with the changes in the subtropical gyre. Given the importance of the South Atlantic and the scarcity of observations in this region, data obtained from the measurements along this transect is used to investigate the role of the South Atlantic in improving climate forecasts.
For more information about the operation of this transect click here.
XBT deployments along AX18
AX18 Mean Temperature Section
The figure below shows the mean temperature section along AX18.
AX18 Temperature Standard Deviation
The figure below shows the standard deviation of the mean temperature section along the AX18 transect.
Temperature Space-Time Diagrams from AX18 XBT Profiles
The diagrams below show the temporal and spatial distribution of temperature along AX18 at selected depths.
*residuals are obtained by substracting the seasonal cycle