OVIDE 2002-2010

The OVIDE Project contributes to CLIVAR, IOCCP, CARBOOCEAN and CARBOCHANGE International programs.

Project Leader : Herlé Mercier, LOPS, IFREMER, Brest

Roscoff Marine Chemistry Research Group contributes to OVIDE project by modelling nutrient and CFC fluxes .

Project Supervisor : Pascal MORIN.

Research Project

The OVIDE project aims at documenting and understanding the variability of the circulation and water mass properties in the northern North Atlantic within the context of global change. The North Atlantic subpolar gyre is a key region for the European climate. (Stommel 1957, Seager et al., 2002)

Since 2002, the Ovide project contributes to the observation of both the circulation and the water mass properties along a section from Greenland to Portugal. Additional measurements are also conducted in the Irminger Sea and Iceland Sea (current meter mooring array, Argo float deployments, and surface measurements on voluntary observing ships). We carry out cruises and modelling studies to characterise the interannual variability of:

 - The meridional overturning circulation between Greenland and Portugal, the associated main current transports and heat and fresh water transports.
- The water mass properties (temperature, salinity, etc.).
- The inventories and transports of geochemical tracers from natural or anthropogenic origin. The North Atlantic Ocean is a sink for anthropogenic gazes as carbon dioxide (Sabine et al. 2004) or Chlorofluorocarbons (Rhein et al. 2002) and it is necessary to understand how those anthropogenic tracers are transported in order to evaluate the fate of the ocean sink.

We seek relationships between the observed ocean variability and that of the atmospheric forcing. This will be done using diagnostic (data assimilating) and prognostic models.

Cruises
 

OVIDE 2010, 08th June – 10th July 2010, onboard the Research Vessel La Thalassa

Science Team: Eric Macé, Geneviève Mével, Pascal Morin, Stefan Raimund, Laure Sevin, Marc Vernet

OVIDE 2008, 10th June – 10th July 2008, onboard R./V. La Thalassa
Science Team: Thierry Cariou, Essyllt Louarn, Eric Macé,  Pascal Morin, Laure Sevin, Guy Thoumelin (Lille Uni.)

OVIDE 2006, 22nd May – 25th June 2006, onboard R./V. Maria. S. Merian

Science Team: Thierry Cariou, Boris Cocquempot, Essyllt Louarn, Eric Macé, Pascal Morin, Guy Thoumelin (Lille Uni.)

OVIDE 2004, 05th June – 06th July 2004, onboard R./V. La Thalassa

Science Team : Thierry Cariou, Boris Cocquempot, Sandra Forner, Essyllt Louarn, Eric Macé, Pascal Morin

OVIDE 2002, 10th June – 11th July 2002, onboard R./V. La Thalassa

Science Team: Thierry Cariou, Boris Cocquempot, Sandra Forner, Eric Macé, Pascal Morin, Lucie Roa