Overview
My research area is physical oceanography, with a particular focus on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
I moved to Exeter in 2017 to undertake a PhD with Dr Marie-Jose Messias. My project utilises measurements of transient tracers (CFCs and SF6) to study the circulation of water masses formed in the Southern Ocean and to estimate the amount of heat and carbon these waters transport into the interior ocean.
Prior to moving to the University of Exeter I undertook an Msci in Oceanography at the University of Southampton, within which I spent a year studying at the University of Washington in Seattle.
My masters project focussed on developing a method to detect signals of meltwater outflow at the Pine Island Ice Shelf, Antarctica.
I have gained a large amount of practical oceanographic fieldwork experience over the years. I have conducted a number of studies using small boats in Southampton Water and the Fal Estuary aswell as spending months at a time on larger research vessels. I have undertaken work onboard the RV Thomas G Thompson in a temperate fjord system in Vancouver Island, Canada, crossed the Atlantic from Rio de Janiero to Namiba onboard the RRS James Cook, and worked in the Southern Ocean onboard the RRS James Clark Ross, surveying in the rough conditions at Drake Passage and along the ANDREX transect, which stretches from near the Falkland Islands to close to South Africa.
Though much of my work has been with oceographic observations, I also work with ocean models and use the ECCO set-up of MITgcm in my current work.
My PhD at Exeter is funded by NERC GW4+ DTP and is in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), where I am supervised by Prof. Mike Meredith and Dr Dave Munday. This work also forms part of the TICTOC project.
Qualifications
MSci Oceanography with Study Abroad (University of Southampton)
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by year
2022
Hinde G (2022). Investigating the Timescales and Pathways of Southern Ocean Water Masses Using Transient Tracers and ECCOv4.
Abstract:
Investigating the Timescales and Pathways of Southern Ocean Water Masses Using Transient Tracers and ECCOv4
It is widely accepted that we live in a changing climate, with rising global temperatures and an increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2. The Southern Ocean, despite only accounting for 30% of global ocean surface area, is estimated to have been responsible for 43% of anthropogenic CO2 and 75% of heat uptake over the period 1861-2005 (Frölicher et al. 2015). This excess heat and carbon is transported from the surface ocean to the interior ocean predominately by two water masses, Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) and Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). However, little is known about the timescales of this transport and how these timescales may be changing in response to climate change. This research uses transient tracers (CFCs and SF6) to identify these timescales. A Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) is applied to tracer measurements taken at 24°S in the South Atlantic in 2009 and 2018, in order to diagnose the location and point in recent history that these waters were last in contact with the atmosphere. Additionally, passive tracer experiments in ECCOv4 are used to validate the results obtained by the MEM. Multiple temporal origins are identified in AAIW at 24°S. They suggest a contribution from young waters of 5 - 25 years from north of the Subantarctic Front, and older waters of 35 - 55 years, from south of the Polar Front. When these ages are compared between the 2009 and 2018 data, the younger less dense waters appear to age by 3 years and the more dense older waters appear to age by 9 years. Multiple theories surrounding the ageing of this water are explored, including the possibility of an influence from water formed by the Weddell Polynya in the early 1970s. Analysis of the AABW at 24°S confirms a strong influence of water from the Weddell Sea, and suggests a timescale of 30 years for this surface water to reach 24°S.These results provide the information needed to estimate the uptake of anthropogenic carbon and added heat by Southern Ocean water masses. They also act as a baseline for assessing future changes in circulation, a task particularly pertinent in our warming world.
Abstract.
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