Study of Kuroshio Intrusion and Transport Using Moorings, HPIES, and EM-APEX Floats in the QPEU Experiment

Abstract

Our long-term scientific goals are to understand the dynamics and identify mechanisms of small-scale processes--i.e., internal tides, inertial waves, nonlinear internal waves (NLIWs), and turbulence mixing--in the ocean and thereby help develop improved parameterizations of mixing for ocean models. Mixing within the stratified ocean is a particular focus as the complex interplay of internal waves from a variety of sources and turbulence makes this a current locus of uncertainty. For this study, our focus is on small-scale processes (NLIWs and inertial waves), internal tides, and cold-water intrusions generated as the Kuroshio and barotropic tides interact with the continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) and with one prominent submarine ridge (I-Lan Ridge). These small-scale processes modulate the temporal, horizontal, and vertical spatial structures of water properties in the ocean, and therefore may significantly modify oceanic acoustics and introduce uncertainty to sonar performance and acoustic propagation. Our ultimate goal is to collaborate with acousticians to identify oceanic processes that alter acoustic properties. The properties, mechanisms, and dynamics of these oceanic processes will help quantify and assess uncertainty in acoustic prediction.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA542489

Entities

People

  • Ren-Chieh Lien
  • Thomas B. Sanford

Organizations

  • University of Washington

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Propagation
  • Acoustic Properties
  • Cold Water
  • Continental Shelves
  • Continental Slopes
  • Data Processing
  • East China Sea
  • Internal Waves
  • Intrusion
  • Measurement
  • Oceans
  • Physics
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Ridges
  • South China Sea
  • Tidal Power
  • Transport Ships

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Acoustical Oceanography.
  • Coastal Oceanography