A Study of Warm Core Ring - Shelf/Slope Interaction from the Oleander Project

情报价值：夹竹桃计划的主要目的是建立对墨西哥湾流向极地输送物质和热量的长期监测。自1992年10月以来，集装箱船MV Oleander几乎连续地收集ADCP观测数据，每周往返于纽约和百慕大之间。在过去的九年中(1993-2001年)，总共获得了554条有用的陆架/斜坡断面，以及对潮汐的完整分析，这为研究中大西洋海湾陆架/斜坡环流提供了新的见解。但是，也许从夹竹桃断面上更能揭示出的是，观测表明，在中转区上空观测到的暖核环对陆架/斜坡产生了很大的影响。近一半的断面受到与暖芯环相关的强东流的影响，这表明暖芯环很可能主导陆架-斜坡水交换。因此，及时完成陆架/斜坡环流的研究，同时考虑暖核环的影响。在这个项目中，纽约州立大学石溪分校的研究人员将继续目前夹竹桃项目的数据分析工作，但将重点转向解释而不是质量保证。具体地说，科学家团队将把Oleander的观测与卫星和其他免费数据结合起来，研究墨西哥湾流暖核环与中大西洋海湾陆架和斜坡的相互作用。沿中转线的每个环引起的小尺度特征将被分离出来并研究它们的产生机制，以便研究人员能够：1)定义小尺度气旋、反气旋和急流(流光和搁置急流)相对于暖环的旋转运动的速度结构；2)确定环坡相互作用是否存在与环的大小、强度和接近搁架断裂有关的显著不同类型的环坡相互作用；3)确定环坡相互作用的季节相关性和可能的年际变化(与墨西哥湾流路径变化有关)。4)研究气旋、反气旋和流线的生成机制。更广泛的影响：确定平均和季节陆架/坡流为暖核环无明显影响的时期。结果表明，赤道向输送的范围远远超出陆架破碎带，上坡流是陆架水输送的主要来源。由于陆架/斜坡流在环期间能量更大，因此暖核环可能主导陆架与陆坡之间的交换。目前，对环坡相互作用的研究还很少。这项拟议的研究将对这一重要但长期被忽视的过程提供见解。其影响可能是巨大的，导致对材料(水、盐、碳循环等)的新理解。横跨大陆边缘的交易所。该项目还包括一名博士生的培训。首席调查员致力于培训具有不同背景(和专业兴趣)的下一代领导人。他还参与了该大学新的本科环境研究项目，并计划在这个项目中聘请几名本科生获得荣誉学分，该项目涉及卫星图像处理和分析领域。

0425413Intellectual merit: The Oleander project was conceived primarily to establish a long-term monitoring of the Gulf Stream's pole ward transport of mass and heat. Since October of 1992, the container ship, the MV Oleander, has been collecting ADCP observations on an almost continuous basis as the ship makes its weekly trips between New York and Bermuda. Over the last nine years (1993-2001) a total of 554 useful shelf/slope transects have been obtained, as well as a complete analysis of detiding, which has offered new insights about the Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf/slope circulation. But, perhaps what has been even more revealing from the Oleander transects are the observations which have indicated that the warm core rings observed over the transit area have sustained much influence on the shelf/slope. Nearly one-half of the transects were influenced by strong easterly currents associated with warm core rings, suggesting that the warm core rings most likely dominate the shelf-slope water exchange. Therefore, it is timely to complete a study of the shelf/slope circulation that also considers the impact of warm core rings. In this project, researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brooks will continue the present data analysis effort of the Oleander project, but shift the emphasis toward interpretation rather than quality assurance. Specifically, the team of scientists will combine the Oleander observations with satellite and other complimentary data, to investigate the interaction of the Gulf Stream warm core rings with the Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf and slope. Each ring-induced small-scale feature along the transit line will be isolated and their generation mechanisms examined, so that the researchers can: 1) define the velocity structures of small-scale cyclones, anticyclones, and jets (streamers and shelfbreak jet) with respect to the swirling motion of the warm rings; 2) determine whether or not there are significantly different types of ring-slope interactions in relation to the ring size, strength, and proximity to the shelfbreak; 3) determine the seasonal dependence and possible interannual variability (in relation to Gulf Stream path variations) of the ring-slope interaction. And 4) Examine the mechanisms of generation of cyclones, anticyclones, and streamers.Broader Impacts: The mean and seasonal shelf/slope currents are determined for the period of no visible influence of warm core rings. It is shown that the equatorward transport extends well beyond the shelf break and that the upper slope currents are a major source of the shelf water transport.. Since the shelf/slope currents are much more energetic during the ring period, it is likely that warm core rings may dominate the exchange between shelf and slope. At present, very little is known about the ring-slope interaction. The proposed study will shed insights about this important but long ignored process. The implication can be enormous, leading to a new understanding of the material (water, salt, carbon cycle, etc.) exchange across the continental margin. This project also includes training of a Ph.D. student. The principal investigator is committed to training of the next generation leaders of diverse background (and professional interests). He also is involved with the university's new undergraduate environmental studies program and plans to engage several undergraduate students for honor credits in this project, in the area of processing and analysis of satellite imagery.