Tmicro-APEX, an Addition to APEX Floats to Measure Temperature Microstructure

Tmicro-APEX，APEX 浮子的补充，用于测量温度微观结构

• 批准号: 0549892
• 负责人: Michael Gregg
• 金额: $ 63.99万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-02-01 至 2013-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0549892&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Tmicro; APEX; Addition; Floats; Measure

The PI's propose to develop a capability to measure temperature microstructure over large areas and for extended times. This will permit sampling suspected mixing 'hot spots' over larger areas and for longer periods than affordable with ships, measuring in areas not frequented by ships, or where the weather is too severe for ship-based observations. To meet this scientific objective, the PI's propose to add temperature microstructure as one of the optional sensors available with Autonomous Profiling Explorers (APEXs) floats. Because these floats can be programmed to restrict their profiling range to stay within water masses, they will allow simultaneous Lagrangian observations of mixing rates and T,S changes. The addition would consist of two thermistors to detect the microstructure, a small external signal-conditioning package, an internal electronics board and software for processing the data and mounts for additional batteries and modification to the ballasting. The data will be added to the existing data stream transmitted every time a float surfaces. Only a small amount of additional processing will be required ashore. Broader ImpactsThe Tmicro-APEX floats could allow for global spatial coverage of turbulent mixing variability in the ocean and help to identify its temporal variability. This global understanding of ocean mixing from measurements will help constrain the mixing rates that are parameterized in global and regional ocean models. The proposed instrumentation development will offer the opportunity to have a standardized microstructure measurement package accessible to a broad sector of the experimental physical oceanographic community. It should stimulate numerous investigations that overtime will provide a significantly improved understanding of the global dissipation processes and their variability.

PI建议开发一种能够在大范围内长时间测量温度微观结构的能力。这将允许在比船舶负担得起的更大的区域和更长的时间内对疑似混合“热点”进行采样，在船舶不经常出入的区域进行测量，或者在天气过于恶劣而无法进行船舶观测的地方进行测量。为了实现这一科学目标，PI建议将温度微观结构作为自主剖面探测器（APEXs）浮标的可选传感器之一。由于这些浮子可以通过编程将其剖面范围限制在水团范围内，因此它们将允许同时对混合率和T、S变化进行拉格朗日观测。新增部件将包括两个用于检测微结构的热敏电阻、一个小型外部信号调理包、一个内部电子电路板和用于处理数据的软件，以及用于附加电池和修改镇流器的支架。每当浮体浮出水面时，数据将被添加到现有的数据流中。岸上只需要进行少量的额外处理。更广泛的影响Tmicro-APEX浮标可以提供海洋湍流混合变率的全球空间覆盖，并有助于确定其时间变率。这种从测量中对海洋混合的全球认识将有助于限制在全球和区域海洋模式中参数化的混合率。拟议的仪器开发将为实验物理海洋学界的广大部门提供一个标准化的微观结构测量包。它应该激发大量的研究，随着时间的推移，将大大提高对全球耗散过程及其变异性的理解。