Observing the Evolution of Typhoon Wakes
Abstract
The long-term goal of this research is to observe, understand, quantify, and parameterize upper-ocean mixing for use in global ocean modeling. The objective of our research program is to observe the temporal and spatial evolution of typhoon cold wakes. In particular, we directly observed the mixing associated with turbulence generated by the strong air-sea interactions in a typhoon. These observations will be used to make quantifiable assessments of mixed layer models under the extreme conditions of a typhoon. We also observed the restratification of the cold wake from air-sea fluxes and lateral mixing by sub-mesoscale eddies. We made these observations from a ship-based survey of the evolution of the typhoon cold wake that was undertaken to observe the restratification and collapse of the wake after the passage of a typhoon in the Western Pacific Ocean. The cold wake survey utilized a towed profiling sensor and a tethered turbulence package. Also, we developed Seagliders with microstructure sensors to examine the structure of the cold wake.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA557094
Entities
People
- Steven R. Jayne
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution