The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a major oceanic current determining global climate that is showing signs of weakening. It transports warmer waters northwards in the Atlantic Ocean, sinks colder and denser waters and is a climate regulator in the northern European continent. According to some hypotheses and computer models, the impact of climate change and melting of the poles could eventually collapse the AMOC, with effects on global ocean regulation and climate that are difficult to predict. In this complex system of ocean currents, how do these affect the water masses flowing from the Mediterranean into the Atlantic along the course of the AMOC?
The objectives of the oceanographic campaign of the MORIA project (Mediterranean outflow reach and impact into the North Atlantic: present and past variability using neodymium isotopes), led by the University of Barcelona, will focus on studying the circulation of Mediterranean outflow water (MOW) and its impact on the Atlantic Ocean current. MORIA will be the first national campaign included in the international GEOTRACES project, focused on the study of marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes. This recognition is an endorsement of international scientific quality of the highest level in oceanography.
The MORIA project is led by researchers Leopoldo Pena and Isabel Cacho, with the outstanding participation of experts Jaime Frigola and Galderic Lastras, all members of the Marine Geosciences Research Group (Gmar) at the UB's Faculty of Earth Sciences.
Other institutions involved in the project and the campaign are: the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Vigo (IEO-CSIC), the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC). The French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), the University College Cork (Ireland) and Aarhus University (Denmark) are also active partners.
From the coast of Vigo to Reykjavik
From 15 September to 11 October, the MORIA campaign will sail from the coast of Vigo to Reykjavik, aboard the oceanographic ship Sarmiento de Gamboa (CSIC), in a journey that will follow the circulation of Mediterranean waters along the European Atlantic margin. The oceanographic campaign will characterize the Mediterranean waters as they move northwards and study the possible impact of changes in the MOW on the AMOC.
