Anna, please introduce yourself.
I am Anna Olivé Abelló, a post-doctoral researcher in Physical Oceanography at the Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (CNRS) working on WP2 in OCEAN:ICE project with Dr. Nicolas Jourdain and Dr. Pierre Mathiot.
Tell us about your professional and academic career before becoming part of the OCEAN:ICE community.
I obtained my PhD in Marine Sciences with the specialization of Physical Oceanography in March 2023 from the Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) within the doctoral program of the University of Barcelona. During my doctoral studies, I focused on identifying the pathways, quantifying the geostrophic transport, water mass transformations and transfer of mass, salt, heat, and biogeochemical properties, as well as the spatiotemporal variability experienced by Antarctic waters from their formation in the Southern Ocean to their incorporation into the South Atlantic Ocean.
What do you do within OCEAN:ICE?
In the OCEAN:ICE project, I am developing the Lagrangian iceberg module already implemented in NEMO by improving mainly the iceberg thickness based on the Antarctic ice shelf characteristics. With that, I want to estimate how the melting and thickness of icebergs calved from the Antarctic ice shelves influence the distribution of freshwater in the Southern Ocean. Moreover, the presence of these icebergs determines the deep-water and sea-ice formation, influencing then the ocean circulation and playing a crucial role in the extent of warm water intrusions towards Antarctica's ice shelves, which determines their mass loss.
What have you enjoyed about OCEAN:ICE so far?
As part of WP2 within OCEAN:ICE, I had the opportunity to attend last year's annual project meeting hosted by Sorbonne University in Paris. It allowed me to meet in person the incredible researchers with whom I am constantly collaborating. Especially interesting were all the knowledge exchange discussions, aiming to advance our understanding of all the processes occurring around the Southern Ocean and the ice shelves of the Antarctic continent. Now, I can only think about attending the Southern Ocean Summer School scheduled to take place in Corsica at the Institut d’Etudes Scientifiques de Cargèse from May 7-18, 2024. This amazing summer school aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges faced by Southern Ocean sciences.
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