Our primary scientific focus is on directly measuring, for the first time, how vertical advection contributes to the heat balance in the pacific equatorial cold tongue region near 140W

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) received a $694,062 Project Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Climate and Atmospheric Research program (CFDA 11.431), effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028. The research initiative will directly measure, for the first time, the contribution of vertical advection to the heat balance in the Pacific equatorial cold tongue region near 140°W. WHOI will deploy an array of six wave gliders (uncrewed vehicles) to collect vertical profiles of velocity, temperature, and salinity, enabling estimation of temperature and velocity gradients across multiple length scales and time scales ranging from diurnal to seasonal intervals.

In addition to advection measurements, the project will quantify the contributions of horizontal advection and surface flux to the surface-layer heat budget through detailed measurements of the wave field, surface radiation, and meteorological data adequate for accurate estimation of surface heat fluxes. The work directly supports NOAA's Climate Program Office mandate to advance understanding of climate hazards and processes affecting ocean and atmospheric systems, generating critical oceanographic data and analysis products that improve climate modeling and prediction capabilities.

We will measure the vertical profile of vertical velocity and of temperature and salinity using an array of six uncrewed vehicles (wave gliders), which will allow US to estimate the gradients of temperature and velocity on multiple length scales, resolving time scales from diurnal to seasonal. Our array of wave gliders will also allow direct estimation of the contributions of the horizontal advection and the surface flux to the surface-layer heat budget. We will also make detailed measurements of the wave field, surface radiation and meteorological measurements adequate for making accurate estimates of the surface heat fluxes.