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CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
Past Seminars

Seminar Abstract

Bermuda’s tale of two time series - Hydrostation “S” and BATS

The hydrographic time series at Station “S” and BATS have been recording ocean conditions near Bermuda simultaneously since 1989. Station “S” has been the subject of many ocean climate studies due to its longevity, begun in 1954, and its location in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre where observations of variability within the subtropical mode water provide insight into ocean-atmosphere interactions. The Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) was a Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) initiative to provide long-term observations of biogeochemical cycles in the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda.

Station “S” is 25km southeast of Bermuda; BATS is 50km further offshore in the same direction. We examine to what extent the two time series reveal the same information, differ significantly from one another, and reveal new information on the oceanic variability at Bermuda by their combination. Notably, both time series show that a previously published long-term trend of deep warming and increasing salinity reversed around 1990, as a result of the increased production of Labrador Sea Water since the change in phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation in the late 1980s.

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CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
Peter Oke, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine Research (03) 6232 5387
Piers Dunstan, (Biological seminars) CSIRO Marine Research (03) 6232 5382
Katrina Nitschke, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265 & IASOS, University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2509