Elucidating Novel Meso-Submesoscale Ocean Dynamics through Synergy of SWOT Observations and High-Resolution OGCM Simulations

Principle Investigator: Bo Qiu (University of Hawaii at Manoa)

Collaborator(s): Shuiming Chen

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Upper ocean circulation variability encompasses a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. To fully understand the ocean variability and its role in the Earth climate system, it is critical to elucidate the dynamical processes of meso-submesoscales that link the energetic oceanic mesoscale motions and the finer-scale turbulent motions. Our project will explore (1) how mesoscales affect submesoscales via straining/instability and how inverse energy cascade facilitates submesoscales to feedback onto mesoscales, (2) how meso-submesoscale variability and interaction contribute to the vertical mass and heat transport in the upper ocean, (3) how submesoscales change spatio-temporally dependent on the background larger-scale circulation, and (4) how submesoscales impact on the evolution of coherent nonlinear oceanic eddies.