Long Term Observations of Inertial Waves and Turbulent Diffusivity in the Upper Pycnocline of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas
Abstract
Over the last one and a half decades, summer melt of the Arctic ice cover increased significantly, with first-year ice now a signifi""cant component of the pack ice, and with much of the melt back occurring in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The summer melt-back fres""hens the ocean surface layer, which strengthens the seasonal pycnocline, which, in turn, tends to inhibit vertical turbulent transpo""rt between the surface layer and underlying layers. On the other hand, large areas of open water allow energetic, near-inertial wave""s to develop (due to direct air-sea coupling and lack of ice cover dissipation), at least in open water. This enhanced energy input" to the ocean should tend to increase turbulent diffusivity of the pycnocline and promote vertical turbulent transport. It remains an open question as to how these two competing effects affect vertical transport and exchange in the Arctic Ocean and how these effects are related to proximity to the ice edge. This Moss Landing Marine Laboratories component of the funded proposal ~Long Term Observations of Inertial Waves and Turbulent Diffusivity in the Upper Pycnocline of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas~ will provide technical support for the testing and calibration of instruments of the four Autonomous Ocean Flux Buoys (AOFB) that are funded to be deployed in the Canadian Basin in 2017 and 2018. Additionally SeaCat C-T sensors will be purchased through this grant to support measurements of pycnocline dynamic stability as part of these instrument systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 09, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712543
Entities
People
- Timothy Stanton
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- San José State University
- United States Navy