Changes in ocean bottom pressure

ESA’s Next Generation Gravity Mission (mission) could provide the first opportunity to directly track a vital ocean circulation system that warms our planet – but is now weakening, risking a possible collapse with far-reaching consequences.

The ocean circulation system in question is called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) – a complex network of currents, including the Gulf Stream, that plays a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate. According to theory and numerical models of the ocean, a key satellite-measurable feature of the AMOC is its impact on ocean bottom pressure along the western North Atlantic. In principle, this should allow the AMOC to be monitored from space. Recent analysis shows that to measure the AMOC accurately, it is crucial to capture ocean bottom pressure signals from both the upper and lower continental slopes and calculate their difference.
ESA’s NGGM, which will also be a pair of satellites in the ESA–NASA MAGIC constellation, will offer an unprecedented capability to measure differences and changes in ocean bottom pressure between upper and lower continental slopes so that the AMOC can be monitored.

Read full story: New ESA gravity mission set to detect weakening ocean conveyor