Submesoscale Eddies, Fronts, and Filaments

in collaboration with Jeroen Molemaker (UCLA), Ben Holt (JPL), Carter Ohlmann (UCSB), Svein Vagle (IOS), Geoffrey Smith and George Marmorino (both NRL)

Currently, submesoscale eddies, fronts, and filaments on the scale of 10 m to 20 km represent a scientific frontier in oceanography. They are not very well sampled and have only been recently subject of numerical modeling. These submesoscale features are intermittent in space and time and present a formidable observational challenge. In addition to their role in the energy budget of the large-scale ocean circulation and their connection with local forward energy cascades, they are important for the understanding of mixing processes and the variability of the coastal ocean, also in connection with biogeochemical processes.

To date, very little data exists on the physical in situ structure of submesoscale features as well as their biological/optical response and characteristics that truly resolve their very short temporal and spatial scales.

The primary objectives of this project are therefore to

• improve the understanding of the physical properties and generation mechanisms of submesoscale eddies, fronts, and filaments.
• determine the role of submesoscale features in the coastal circulation and energy budget.
• determine the connection between the surface expression of submesoscale features to their in situ structure.
• determine the biological and optical response of submesoscale features.
• determine the connection between surface slicks within submesoscale features to SAR data and skin temperature.

In order to resolve the very short temporal (few hours to days) and spatial time scales (10 m to 10 km) we are using fast and maneuverable vessels and planes. The variables that have to be measured are in situ bulk and skin temperature (representative of density in Southern California), horizontal currents, surfactant concentrations, and meteorological parameters, chlorophyll concentrations, dissolved oxygen, as well as the optical properties of sea water.