The program builds upon the two preceding iAnzone programs and enters a second iANZONE phase whose purpose is to better define and understand the role of Antarctic waters and processes in the global ocean and climate system. DOVETAIL will focus on escape of the recently ventilated deep water from the Weddell Sea into the Global Ocean - the final stage in its role of ventilating deep ocean waters.
DOVETAIL priorities parallel, and the results will contribute
to, ongoing global change research. The processes responsible
for vertical and horizontal fluxes within the ocean and associated
interaction with the sea ice and atmosphere in polar regions must
be properly represented. The DOVETAIL study region, off the tip
of the Antarctic Peninsula, serves as the primary gateway between
the southern polar waters and the global ocean. This region can
therefore be considered as a "vital" location for long
term monitoring of the discharge of cold Antarctic Water into
the global ocean. Results from the DOVETAIL experiment will aid
in establishing long-range monitoring of this critical region.
Both the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
and the ocean component of the Global Climate Observation System
(GCOS)
have been established by a number of international bodies to provide
such monitoring data.