Book Description
Since 1995 the Atlantic Meridional Transect program (AMT - www.amt-uk.org) has undertaken extensive measurements of oceanographic and atmospheric variables on a passage between the UK and destinations in the South Atlantic (Falkland Islands, Chile, Uruguay and South Africa). This program, which spans up to 100° of latitude, crosses a range of ecosystems from sub-polar to tropical, from eutrophic shelf seas and upwelling systems, to oligotrophic mid-ocean gyres. The AMT was originally conceived to utilise the bi-annual passage of the RRS James Clark Ross (JCR) between its home-base in the UK and its field-base in the Falklands. In 2008, cruises switched from bi-annual to annual, taking place during the boreal autumn (austral spring). Throughout the lifetime of the AMT program, the objectives have evolved to address topical research questions whilst enabling the maintenance of a continuous set of observations relevant to global environmental issues.