Ocean circulation at the Antarctic margins is dominated by a system of circumpolar frontal currents that occupy the continental shelf and slope. This Antarctic Slope Frontal (ASF) system has a significant impact on global climate through its control over the transport of warm water towards Antarctica’s floating ice shelves and over the properties of bottom waters exported from the Antarctic shelf. In the past two decades, appreciation of the spatial and temporal variability of the ASF and its impact on heat and tracer transport has grown through a combination of novel in situ observational techniques, remote sensing and high resolution numerical modeling.   
This talk will highlight how these different approaches have improved our dynamical understanding of the ASF and its role in the global circulation and climate system.

Andy Thompson is a physical oceanographer and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at Caltech. His research focuses on the ocean’s role in Earth’s climate from the large-scale overturning circulation to small scale turbulence. His research uses various approaches including high resolution numerical modeling studies, analysis of remote sensing data, and the deployment of autonomous vehicles that permit persistent monitoring of remote ocean regions.