This experiment aims to investigate the impact of anthropogenic climate change to the stratification of the Brazilian shelf waters under a strong warming scenario (RCP8.5).

Earth System Models (ESMs) predict a stronger increase in stratification over the equatorial regions, due to the increased surface warming. However, they cannot account for all relevant regional processes due to their coarse horizontal resolution.

One of the more relevant local processes unresolved by ESMs is the upwelling of South Atlantic Central Water along subtropical Brazil. It brings cold and nutrient-rich waters towards the coast to the most productive shelf regions along the Brazilian coastal waters and is known to play an important role in the stratification of the South Brazil Bight.

By including this process in our analysis through our downscaling experiment, we can provide a more complete assessment of the effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions in the stratification of the Brazilian continental shelf.