Stommel Retention Zones: Predicting Massive Suspension and Subsurface Trapping of Buoyant Material by Convective Activity in the Ocean

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In the upper ocean mixing processes occur which tend to homogenize properties and disperse organisms throughout the mixed layer. However, organized motions in the vertical plane may be established due to Langmuir circulations. When these occur, they may suspend particles and biological species. This study is a theoretical investigation of the process of suspension of material by organized circulation. The investigators will utilize concepts from chaotic theory to calculate the statistics of residence time as functions of depth, the expected spatial distributions, and the levels of concentration of these suspended materials.