The acronym "WOCE" stands for "World Ocean Circulation Experiment," a research program conducted from the 1990s to the early 2000s to better understand global ocean circulation patterns. The phonetic transcription of WOCE is /woʊs/ - "wohss" - with the stress on the first syllable. The spelling of the word comes from the first letters of each word in the program's name. Despite being no longer active, WOCE data remains valuable in studying the Earth's climate and environment.
WOCE, an acronym for World Ocean Circulation Experiment, refers to a major international research program that aimed to investigate the global ocean circulation and its role in the Earth's climate system. It was a collaborative effort involving several countries and aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of the world's oceans.
The main objective of WOCE was to improve our knowledge of ocean circulation patterns, heat distribution, and the behavior of water masses on a global scale. This ambitious project involved the deployment of a wide range of instrumentation, including satellite observations, moored buoys, and research vessels, to collect data on sea surface temperature, salinity, currents, and other relevant parameters.
WOCE had a particular focus on the thermohaline circulation, which refers to the movement of heat and salt in the ocean that plays a crucial role in redistributing energy and influencing climate patterns. By collecting data from various regions and depths across the globe, WOCE aimed to understand the complex interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the cryosphere.
The datasets collected during the WOCE program have been invaluable for improving climate models and enhancing our understanding of regional and global climate variability and change. WOCE has played a significant role in advancing knowledge about the mechanisms driving ocean circulation and its importance in regulating Earth's climate system.