ADCPs for Lagrangian Measurement of Oceanic Fronts
Abstract
The proposed instrumentation will enhance the quality of research currently funded through CALYPSO (Coherent Lagrangian Pathways from the Surface Ocean to Interior Departmental Research Initiative) via Grant N00014-18-1-2139 to Eric D’Asaro and Andrey Shcherbina. Downward-looking, 5-beam Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) will be added to three existing Lagrangian floats. The floats are a major component of the CALYPSO field program, making direct measurement of Lagrangian water pathways from the surface into the ocean interior. Existing upward-looking ADCPs mounted on the float have been critical in validating the accuracy of these measurements and providing spatial context for the float data. The addition of downward-looking ADCPs will fill the current “blind-spot” below the floats, particularly when the floats are at the surface and approaching the region where they will sink. High-quality velocity measurements both above and below the float, will allow the float behavior to be more precisely controlled, resulting in higher-quality Lagrangian trajectories. With the density measurements on the floats, they will also allow direct estimation of Richardson numbers, and with direct dissipation measurements from the high-resolution mode of the ADCP, a much improved measurement of shear and shear-induced mixing along the Lagrangian trajectories of sinking water parcels. The three floats, working with other CALYPSO experimental components, will form a comprehensive measurement system spanning mesoscale to submesoscale frontal structure and measuring the locations and rates of vertical motion and the resulting three-dimensional trajectories.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 2019
- Source ID
- N000141912591
Entities
People
- Eric D Asaro
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Washington