Observations of Mixed Layer Currents, Atmospheric Pressure, Sea-Level Wind, and Surface Waves from Lagrangian Drifters and a Wave Glider in the Icelandic Seas
Abstract
The generation and evolution of inertial oscillations and near-inertial gravity waves while they interact with meso and submesoscale vorticity is investigated through the deployment of several arrays of drifters designed to measure simultaneously the energy input from the wind, the surface wave field, the resulting inertial oscillations and the first stage of the generation and propagation of high-mode near-inertial gravity waves. The proposed approach is designed to obtain critical observations from a complex multi-sensor array covering a region within which fixed and moving assets like moorings and floats deployed by other NISKINE investigators will operate and in concert with the planned cruises. Improving our dynamical understanding of how the energy in the near-inertial band is proportioned between the generation of mixed-layer oscillations, radiating waves, and turbulent dissipation is of paramount importance. In order to make significant progress in this regard, the following physical quantities can be constrained with our approach: 1) Work done by the wind at the observation site (large scale). This is required to constrain the atmospheric energy input, an essential ingredient for closing the energy budget. 2) Onset and evolution of inertial oscillations in the mixed layer. This is needed to constrain the amount of energy dissipated by radiation of NIW generated by the inertial oscillations and turbulence at the base of the mixed layer. 3) The vorticity associated with the mesoscale and sub-mesoscale background velocity field outside of the near-inertial band. This is required to understand the interaction of inertial oscillations and NIW with the background flow and the resulting effective nearinertial frequency. Specifically, we want to quantify how the presence of eddies reduces the horizontal spatial coherence of the NIW. Furthermore, drifter measurements of sea surface temperature, atmospheric air pressure and wind will be posted in real-time to the Global Telecommunication System, and will be available to the Navy and our Icelandic partner and leading institutions and centers worldwide for assimilation into operational models.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812445
Entities
People
- Luca Centurioni
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego