Observations of tracer ventilation in the Cape Basin, Agulhas Current Retroflection

Koets, Renske; Swart, Sebastiaan; Donohue, Kathleen; du Plessis, Marcel

doi:10.5194/os-22-209-2026

Articles | Volume 22, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-209-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Advances in ocean science from underwater gliders

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-209-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 22, issue 1

Research article

|

20 Jan 2026

Research article |

| 20 Jan 2026

Observations of tracer ventilation in the Cape Basin, Agulhas Current Retroflection

Renske Koets, Sebastiaan Swart, Kathleen Donohue, and Marcel du Plessis

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-209-2026-supplement

Data sets

Dataset from autonomous assets collected during the QUICCHE field campaign in the Cape Cauldron Sebastiaan Swart and Johan Edholm https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15189208

Processed CTD collected in the Cape Basin South Atlantic between 2023-03-04 and 2023-03-29 during the QUICCHE mission on board RV Roger Revelle Guillaume N https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15192621

Global Ocean Gridded L 4 Sea Surface Heights And Derived Variables Reprocessed 1993 Ongoing E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information (CMEMS) https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00148

Global Ocean OSTIA Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Reprocessed E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information (CMEMS) https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00168

Model code and software

renskekoets/Ventilation_Cape_Basin: Ventilation Cape Basin R. Koets https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18215721

Short summary

The Cape Basin is a dynamic region where warm, salty Indian Ocean waters meet cooler Atlantic waters. Mixing between these waters drives ventilation, the transport of surface waters to deeper layers in the ocean. Using high-resolution observations from an autonomous Seaglider combined with satellite altimetry we provide new evidence on how small-scale ocean dynamics contribute to ventilation in the Cape Basin, with broader implications on ocean circulation.