Increased anthropogenic stressors (e.g., warming, acidification, wildfires and other extreme events) present complex observational challenges for Earth science, and no one sensor can ‘do it all.’ While many remote sensing technologies are available at present, scientific disciplines are often trained to use only a specific subset, greatly limiting scientific advancements. Here we present open-source software (‘icepyx’) that lowers the barrier for entry for two remote platforms offering vertically-resolved information about the ocean’s subsurface: ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2) and Argo floats. icepyx provides object-oriented code for querying and downloading ICESat-2 and Argo data within a single analysis workflow. icepyx natively handles ICESat-2 data access and read-in; here we introduce the Query, Unify, Explore SpatioTemporal (QUEST) module as a framework for adapting icepyx to easily access and ingest other datasets and present Argo data as the initial use case. Seamless retrieval of coincident data from ICESat-2 and Argo enables improved targeted and exploratory studies across the cryosphere and open ocean realms. We close with recommendations for future work, a discussion of the value of open science, relevance of our work to upcoming satellite missions, and an invitation to join our programming community.

During the winter season, stratification in the central Labrador Sea is eroded by surface heat fluxes causing convective overturning exceeding depths of 2km. This is one of the few locations globally in which deep convection occurs, making it an important feature of the climate system and ocean ventilation. Large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns modulate the air-sea interaction that drives the loss of ocean buoyancy. Here we investigate the process by which weather patterns driven by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and its northern centre of action, the Icelandic Low, modulate convective depths. A one-dimensional ocean model is used to quantify the mixed layer depth’s response to various atmospheric forcing conditions. We find that while net heat flux is the strongest modulating factor of mixed layer depth’s seasonal maximum, it is also strongly affected by the NAO. The Icelandic Low, despite its proximity to the Labrador Sea, does not affect mixed layer deepening as strongly. From geospatial correlation fields with heat flux, NAO, and Icelandic Low time series, it is evident that the NAO more efficiently regulates strong, cold, westerly winds from over the North American continent, which are more effective at cooling the ocean surface boundary layer. These correlations are supported by a compositing approach with a peak-over-threshold technique.