The Purpose of WOCE

The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) is an unprecedented effort during 1990-1997 by scientists from more than 30 nations to study the large-scale circulation of the ocean. WOCE will employ several satellites, dozens of ships, and thousands of instruments to obtain a basic description of the physical properties and circulation of the global ocean during a limited period. In addition, WOCE is supporting regional experiments, the knowledge from which should improve circulation models, and it is exploring design criteria for long-term measurements with which to assess the representativeness of the global "snapshot." This knowledge will help unravel the role of the ocean circulation in decadal-scale climate change; the data obtained will help develop models for the prediction of such change.


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