S-MODE: The Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment

The Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) is a NASA Earth Ventures Suborbital Investigation designed to test the hypothesis that kilometer-scale (“submesoscale”) ocean eddies make important contributions to vertical exchange of climate and biological variables in the upper ocean. To test this hypothesis, S-MODE will employ a combination of aircraft-based remote sensing measurements of the ocean surface, measurements from ships, measurements from a variety of autonomous oceanographic platforms, and numerical modeling. The field campaign will consist of two month-long intensive operating periods (IOPs) that will be preceded by a smaller-scale pilot experiment to test and improve operational readiness and to compare measurements made from different platforms. The pilot experiment was delayed because of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, and it is currently planned for October-November 2020.