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COMPARATIVE DYNAMICS OF THE ATLANTIC UPWELLING ECOSYSTEMS is a project jointly financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and the South African Science Research Council. We intend to compare and contrast particular aspects of the underlying physical environments in the northern and southern hemisphere upwelling systems of the Atlantic Ocean. This will enable an improved understanding of processes affecting the biogeochemistry and ultimately the economically important productivity of the two regions. The principal fruits of our work will be a series of directed comparison papers highlighting the importance of key physical mechanisms and the role they play in the biological characteristics of the two systems. Also, our cooperation involves interdisciplinary training for research students that will broaden their horizons and provide them with overseas links early in their careers.

This web page presents not only a public outlet for the project, but also a discussion forum within which participants may exchange and respond to queries, ideas, and suggestions. This page is seen as a major component of the communications in the project, and so participants will contribute to its content as experts, critics and enquirers. The pages will also comprise a repository for documents related to the project workshops, seminars, reports and papers.

If you have any queries, please e-mail us at e.d.barton@iim.csic.es or call us at +34 231 936986.

Figures:

Banner shows summer Chlorophyll distribution off South Africa. Red indicates high concentrations near-shore, blue shows low open ocean values.

Three central figures show from L to R surface temperature, chlorophyll and drifting buoy tracks during summer upwelling off Iberia. Colder near-shore temperatures (blue) correspond to higher chlorophyll (red).

Lower right shows sea surface height off South Africa. Highest areas are red and lowest are blue. Currents tend to flow along contours with higher levels on their left.