Abstract

Direct measurements of submesoscale lateral dispersion in the ocean have repeatedly yielded estimates of Kh that are difficult to explain using existing theoretical models. Numerous mechanisms have been hypothesized to explain the observations, but definitive evidence for any single mechanism remains elusive. Recent observational and theoretical results have shed new light on both old and new ideas, and provide new opportunities understand the underlying processes. Recent advances in numerical approaches have also enabled deeper examination of the underlying processes, enabling us to isolate the effects of different mechanisms. This talk will present a progress update on our observational, theoretical, and numerical understanding of submesoscale dispersion by internal waves and vortical mode using examples from recent dye release experiments as well as ongoing numerical simulations of dye dispersion driven by internal waves and vortical mode.

Presenter Bio

Dr. Sundermeyer is Professor at the School for Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He earned his Ph.D. from the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Physical Oceanography in 1998, and has been studying problems relating to ocean mixing for more than 25 years. His primary research interests include vertical and horizontal mixing processes, dye release and Lagrangian drifter studies, numerical modeling of two- and three-dimensional turbulent flows, coastal and estuarine dynamics, and numerical modeling of physical and biological interactions.

Publication Date

4-27-2018

Document Type

Presentation

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