Measuring mixing on the NOPP Internal Wave Array Mooring
Abstract
We have successfully developed a full-ocean-depth, real-time, #hybrid# mooring that combines a traditional deep-water taut subsurface mooring with an ocean wave-powered profiling system sampling the upper 500 m. Our development has been proven in prolonged field deployments for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission Calibration and Validation program and a subsequent and ongoing National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP) study. The NOPP research aims to improve the representation of internal waves in global numerical models used by the Navy, specifically in an effort to realistically capture the remote fluxes of internal waves to force regional and operational models. The ongoing field deployment of the NOPP Internal Wave Array mooring has produced an unprecedented record of internal wave variability, quantified internal wave energy fluxes, and has captured the interaction of internal waves, mesoscale, and submesoscale dynamics. Here we propose to leverage the ongoing NOPP mooring deployments by adding measurements of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation to the mooring. From these measurements of the rate of TKE dissipation, estimates of mixing and property exchange can be calculated, and compared to model estimates of similar quantities. These measurements will provide improvedestimates of energy and momentum fluxes, diapycnal exchange, and sound speed evolution on the NOPP Internal Wave Resolving array tobe deployed in the North Pacific in 2025-2026. Simultaneously, the proposed work will modernize the currently implemented NOPP mooring data telemetry system, improve the energy efficiency of the profiling component of the mooring, and enable local testing of the new components and subsystems before their deployment. The proposed work will increase the observational capacity of the community,improve Navy operational ocean forecast models, and leverage investments made by ONR in the ongoing NOPP program.This abstract is publicly releasable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 09, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412762
Entities
People
- Andrew J. Lucas
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego