Studies of Stirring and Mixing at the Submesoscale in the Ocean: FY2013 Annual Report
Abstract
As part of the theoretical and numerical modeling efforts associated with the ONR Scalable Lateral Mixing and Coherent Turbulence DRI, our goal is to understand and quantify the stirring and mixing of submesoscale tracers by turbulent processses at the mesoscale and submesoscale. Our intention is to both delineate the fundamental processes at work, and to guide the interpretation of tracer release, hydrographic, and microstructure observations that constitute the core of the field campaigns. In particular, we intend to (1) determine the degree to which baroclinically unstable flows at the mesoscale generate tracer stirring at the submesoscale via a direct cascade of tracer variance; (2) understand how mixed layer turbulence generated by surface buoyancy loss or down-front winds interacts with a submesoscale lateral density front; and (3) characterize the nature of the balanced mesoscale eddy field in the observational field sites.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA602885
Entities
People
- Raffaele Ferrari
- Scott Smith
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology