Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: . The Rockall Trough (RT) channels an important branch of the North Atlantic Current (NAC), transporting heat from the Gulf Stream toward the Nordic Seas, and the European Slope Current (ESC) which flows northward along its eastern boundary. Variability in the NAC influences poleward heat transport and the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, while the ESC plays a key role for the oceanic conditions on the European shelf and the North Sea. Here we present observed volume, heat, and freshwater transports through the Rockall Trough from 2014 to 2022, using data from Ellett Array moorings (operational since 2014) and gliders (deployed from 2020 onward). Although gliders provide high-resolution spatial data in the ESC, their inconsistent temporal coverage complicates their integration into RT transport estimates. We develop a methodology to merge mooring and glider observations into a unified, high-resolution time series, producing—for the first time—a continuous ESC transport dataset spanning nearly a decade. This demonstrates the effectiveness of heterogeneous observing arrays and provides a transferable framework for sustained ocean transport monitoring.
Source: Ocean science
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,412
Awards: Integrated Assessment of Atlantic Marine Ecosystems in Space and Time, G2622251226, The UK Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (UK-OSNAP), The UK Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (UK-OSNAP), Ocean Dynamics Impacting Shelf Sea Level in Eastern Atlantic (ODISSEA), Atlantic Climate and Environment Strategic Science (AtlantiS), UK-OSNAP-Decade: 10 years of observing and understanding the overturning circulation in the subpolar North Atlantic (2014-2024)
OpenAlex ID: W7124436361