Project
Western boundary retroflections: connecting latitudinal transports and gyre recirculations in the Atlantic Ocean (VA-DE-RETRO) is an initiative that will study two key regions of the Atlantic Ocean: the retroflection of the North Brazil Current at the equator, off the Amazon River discharge, and the meeting of the Brazil and Malvinas Currents, off the Rio de la Plata discharge.
These are key global regions as they connect the tropics, where the oceans incorporate large quantities of solar energy, and the high latitudes, where this energy is released to the atmosphere. They are also fundamental for the distribution of nutrients and dissolved oxygen, which regulate the oceanic biogeochemical cycles. They truly are the valves regulating the global ocean circulation and, consequently, the climatic state of our planet.
In the project are involved researchers from the Institute of Marine Sciences, the University of Girona and the University of Barcelona, with the collaboration of researchers from other Spanish and foreign centers. The project is funded by the National Research and Development Plan of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness from Spanish Government.