AESOP DRI: An Integrated Modeling and Observational Study of Three-Dimensional Upper Ocean Boundary Layer Dynamics and Parameterizations

Abstract

Physically-based parameterizations of vertical mixed layer fluxes in ocean models characterize turbulent mixing at length scales smaller than the layer depth, but do not address the dynamics of unresolved submesoscale horizontal mixing processes below their O(0.1)-O(10) km horizontal resolution scale. Modeling work carried out as part of this AESOP DRI has focused on surface boundary layer horizontal mixing processes in regions of significant horizontal variability, as commonly found in frontal regions. This study seeks to quantify the coupling between mixed layer vertical fluxes and the dynamics of lateral mixing by submesoscale coherent structures.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 2009
Accession Number
ADA531918

Entities

People

  • Ramsey R. Harcourt

Organizations

  • University of Washington

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Layer
  • Buoyancy
  • Dynamics
  • Energy
  • Gulf Stream
  • Internal Waves
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Layers
  • Mixing
  • Oceans
  • Physics
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Three Dimensional
  • Turbulence
  • Turbulent Mixing
  • Wind

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers