Ocean Energetics, Tidal Conversion and Baroclinic Instability

海洋能量学、潮汐转换和斜压不稳定性威廉·扬斯克里普斯海洋研究所该项目旨在了解海洋能量学、混合、斜压不稳定性、潮汐转换和温跃层的形成。 该项目的第一部分是了解海洋能量学约束的后果和扩展。由于海洋中没有深层浮力来源（除了少量地热加热），因此可以证明，在统计稳定状态下，每个深度的动能和势能储备之间都没有交换。 动能的粘性耗散完全由潮汐和风强迫平衡;在海洋中基本上不存在势能到动能的净转化。 理论将被开发和分析Boussinesq能量学和可用和背景势能在海洋中的平衡。 第二个目标将是使用原始方程模拟和理论来研究斜压涡旋在形成海洋温跃层中的作用。 这将检验与破碎重力内波相关的浮力通量被斜压涡旋平衡的假设。扩展的准地转近似，其中的背景分层是自洽确定的，而不是简单地规定，也将开发和实施数字。 第三个目标将是改进计算产生的内潮的实际大地形在海洋中具有强烈的可变浮力频率。 一个新的边界积分表示的解决方案，导致一个积分方程，使有效的计算地形产生的内部重力波。 这些目标涉及通过基于能量平衡的物理论证，确定海洋混合和湍流在确定地球气候长期变化方面的关键作用。

Ocean energetics, tidal conversion and baroclinic instabilityWilliam YoungScripps Institute of OceanographyThe project is directed at understanding ocean energetics, mixing, baroclinic instability, tidal conversion, and the formation of the thermocline. The first part of the project is understanding the ramifications and extensions of constraints on the ocean energetics. Because there are no deep sources of buoyancy in the ocean (apart from small geothermal heating), one can show that in a statistically steady state there is no exchange between the reservoirs of kinetic and potential energy at every depth. The viscous dissipation of kinetic energy is balanced totally by tidal and wind forcing; there is essentially no net transformation o f potential into kinetic energy in the ocean. Theory will be developed and directed at analyzing Boussinesq energetics and the balances of available and background potential energies in the ocean. A second goal will be use primitive equation simulations and theory to examine the role of baroclinic eddies in forming the ocean thermocline. This will test the hypothesis that buoyancy flux associated with breaking internal gravity waves is balanced by baroclinic eddies. An extension of the quasi-geostrophic approximation, in which the background stratification is self-consistently determined, rather than simply prescribed, will also be developed and implemented numerically. The third goal will be an improved calculation of the generation of the internal tide by realistically large topography in an ocean with strongly variable buoyancy frequency. A new boundary-integral representation of the solution leads to an integral equation that enables efficient calculation of the internal gravity waves generated by topography. These goals relate to establishing the critical role of ocean mixing and turbulence in determining long-term changes in the Earth's climate via physical arguments based on energy balances.