Flow around steep topography

Abstract

Rapid, high-resolution spatial surveys will be made with Seasoar and with R/V Revlle s Doppler sonars, where major low-latitude zonal currents, such as the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC), impinge on steep topography in the western Pacific. When the extent of the topography is larger or smaller than the deformation radius, the topographic effects on circulation are different. Going from large to small scales, I will: (1) Assess the incident mean/eddy flow and the WBC at a large island in relation to local or remote forcing; (2) Measure persistent submesoscale features (i.e., island-driven upwelling, turbulent wakes, and locally-generated eddies) around small islands; (3) Observe lee wave generation where a strong current impinges on a tall, steep submarine ridge.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Aug 12, 2016
Source ID
N000141512320

Entities

People

  • T.m. Shaun

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Navy
  • University of California, San Diego

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Oceanography.