This year is the 21st anniversary of the first use of bottom pressure recorders in the Drake Passage by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Recovery and redeployment of instruments - yearly since 1988 - is providing one of the longest time series data sets of a deep ocean variable ever recorded. Researchers use this data to study the intra-annual and inter-annual variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The ACC is one of the most important parts of the global ocean climate system. It connects the three major oceanic basins at all depths and controls in an indirect, but fundamental way, the variability of the oceanic meridional overturning circulation.

To celebrate this important scientific and technological accomplishment, POL and BAS, with the University of East Anglia, hosted a two-day SOFI* workshop "Oceanography in Drake Passage: Wherefrom, whereto and what in between?" The workshop took place on the 26 and 27 October 2009 with over 30 scientists from the UK, France and the USA.

The two days provided an excellent opportunity to take stock of achievements in Drake Passage oceanography and discuss future research avenues encompassing observations and modelling. There were fourteen presentations, themes included: continuing bottom pressure, hydrographic and current measurements; momentum, heat and freshwater fluxes inferred from observations; modes of oscillation of the ACC from data and models; and various modelling studies on adjustment of the ACC.

All the presentations created lively debate. The meeting closed with a final discussion on the future of Drake Passage Oceanography. The workshop has provided momentum for improved collaboration and coordination of national and international research. This could be under the umbrella of an international Drake Passage deep ocean observatory. Stressing the need for a database making existing and future measurements available to the scientific community, the workshop agreed they would pursue this for the future. All attendees agreed that continuation of long-term recording of key ACC variables, such as bottom pressure, sea level and hydrography, is need. And important missing data such as absolute gravity fields and iceberg fluxes should supplement these measurements. We hope the workshop's success will encourage the Drake Passage community to meet again soon and will shortly submit a workshop report to EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union or the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

*NERC provides funding for workshops and other events through its Strategic Ocean Funding Initiative that assist the development of UK marine strategic research, through closer linkages between the Oceans 2025 programme, university research and research users.

Workshop presentations

• Peter Foden (ppt 10M)
• Brian King (ppt 22M)
• Kathleen Donohue (pdf 6M)
• Randoph Watts (ppt 4M)
• Teresa Chereskin (pdf 7M)
• Michael Meredith (ptt 7M)
• Christine Provost (ppt 11M)
• Lesley Allison (ppt 7M)
• David Munday (pdf 4M)
• Chris Wilson (ppt 6M)
• Grant Bigg (ppt 1M)
• Angela Hibbert (ppt 1M)
• Alistair McVicar (pdf 5M)
• Oceanography in Drake Passage Programme (Word doc)

The Proudman Oceanographic (POL) scientific research focuses on oceanography encompassing global sea-levels and geodesy, numerical modelling of continental shelf seas and coastal sediment processes. This research alongside activities of surveying, monitoring, data management and forecasting provides strategic support for the wider mission of the Natural Environment Research Council.

As a public funded body it is part of our remit to inform the public of the science and research undertaken at the laboratory. Attending events like the 'Ocean Awareness Weekend' at the Blue Planet Aquarium offers the opportunity for our scientists to meet members of the public and present the laboratory's work.

The Natural Environment Research Council is one of the UK's eight Research Councils. It uses a budget of about £ 350m a year to fund and carry out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. NERC trains the next generation of independent environmental scientists. It is addressing some of the key questions facing mankind, such as global warming, renewable energy and sustainable economic development.