NICOP - Long-term monitoring of deep-ocean Near Inertial Wave activity and surface sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean using PDS-CPIES
Abstract
A compelling scenario in the Arctic Ocean is the enhanced level of near-inertial wave (NIW) activity due to surface storms striking the increasingly ice-free surface, as this has the potential to influence large-scale ocean circulation patterns and ice-cover, thereby impacting ONR operations north of the Arctic Circle. Since the Arctic Ocean has such varying levels of ice cover and complex stratifications, however, it is unclear how much NIW energy flux is reaching the deep ocean and, furthermore, how this is tied to the characteristics of the sea-ice cover and the underlying stratification. To investigate, we propose to use an array of Pop-up Data Shuttle (PDS) Current and Pressure-recording Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES) to obtain a three-year time series of deep-ocean NIW activity. We will exploit the CPIES acoustic echo time measurements to simultaneously glean valuable qualitative and quantitative data on ice cover. Furthermore, we can exploit the variety of data provided by CPIES to monitor mesoscale eddies, gauge the thermal capacity of the overlying water column, ascertain near bottom-heat changes, and provide ground truthing for GRACE and ICESat2 measurements. The CPIES array, which uses robust and proven technology, will be readily deployable and recoverable, with data transmitted on a yearly basis. Overall, this study can make an important scientific contribution by connecting changes in the sea ice cover to changes in the internal wave field to changes in the stratification. The field research will be coordinated with analytical and numerical models that Prof. Thomas Peacock continues to develop. The project is an international collaboration between Prof. Thomas Peacock at MIT in US and the PI, with the potential for substantial leverage of the Arctic resources of KOPRI (Korea Polar Research Institute), such as yearly Polar cruises on the Icebreaker RV Aaron. The proposed work will be conducted through a close collaboration with Prof. Thomas Peacock, a PI of the Stratified Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (SODA) DRI of the ONR Arctic and Global Prediction Program, and broad collaborations with other SODA DRI PIs are anticipated. We expect to present the observation results in international conferences and publish several journal articles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 05, 2017
- Source ID
- N629091712041
Entities
People
- Jae-Hun Park
Organizations
- Inha University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy