GOCART

Project Overview

GOCART developed and deployed autonomous platforms equipped with biogeochemical sensors to quantify organic carbon export in contrasting ocean environments. The project focused on the Agulhas Bank and Benguela upwelling system, using ocean gliders to capture high-resolution observations of productivity, particle dynamics, and carbon export.

We combined glider backscatter measurements with direct particle sampling to develop calibrations that enable carbon flux estimates from optical data. This work demonstrated the potential for sustained autonomous observations of the biological carbon pump using glider networks.

GOCART advanced our understanding of how upwelling dynamics, mixing, and biological processes interact to control carbon export in productive coastal systems.