Southern Ocean circulation and frontal dynamics from Cryosat-2 a long-track radar altimetry

The Southern Ocean is a climatically important region, and its large-scale circulation influences climate and climate change globally. Through the uptake of carbon and heat from the atmosphere, and through its influence on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Southern Ocean circulation plays a pivotal role in regulating the global climate system, and impacts global mean sea level rise. This thesis uses Dynamic Ocean Topography (DOT) to investigate the large- scale circulation and dynamics of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Cir- cumpolar Current (ACC). DOT is the difference between the sea surface height and the Earth’s geoid, both of which can be measured remotely using Earth- orbiting satellites.