SGER: Generation of Eddies by Oceanic Islands: A Laboratory Study

SGER：海洋岛屿涡流的产生：实验室研究

• 批准号: 0723769
• 负责人: David Hebert
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Rhode Island
• 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: 2007-04-01 至 2009-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0723769&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Generation; Eddies; Oceanic; Islands

Abstract OCE-0723769Intellectual Merit: For many decades, mesoscale eddies have been observed near some oceanic islands. These eddies have been regions of suspected enhanced biological production. It has been speculated that the eddies are generated by the current flowing past the island when the current is sufficiently strong. For some islands which have tall mountains, it has been postulated t hat the winds deflected by the island can produce the eddies through Ekman pumping in the lee of the island. However, while there have been observations of the eddies, there has not been a comprehensive study to examine the generation mechanism of the eddies and their initial evolution. In this project, a series of laboratory experiments of fluid flow around a cylinder (representing an island) will be undertaken. In addition, a spatially varying stress will be applied to the fluid in some of the experiments. These two sets of experiments represent the two possible eddy formation mechanisms in the lee of an island. The three-dimensional velocity near the surface will be determined using particle image velocimetry. These data will allow us to examine the dynamics of the generation of the eddies and their initial evolution as the eddies are advected away from the cylinder. The response to a range of island diameters and stratification will be investigated.Broader Impacts:This project will improve our understanding of mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics of the ocean and will likely resolve some of the prevailing hypotheses related to eddy formation by islands and their influence on biological productivity. A close collaboration with scientists in Spain who have studied the influence of eddies on the ecosystem dynamics around the Canary Islands will be established. Collaborations with modelers interested in studying the generation of eddies by islands will also be pursued.

摘要OCE-0723769知识点：几十年来，在一些海洋岛屿附近观测到了中尺度涡旋。这些漩涡被怀疑是生物生产增强的区域。据推测，当电流足够强时，流过岛屿的电流会产生涡流。对于一些有高山的岛屿，人们曾假定，被岛屿偏转的风可以通过埃克曼泵入岛屿背风面而产生涡旋。然而，虽然有观察到的涡旋，还没有一个全面的研究，以检查涡旋的产生机制和它们的初始演变。在这个项目中，将进行一系列绕圆柱（代表一个岛）的流体流动的实验室实验。此外，在一些实验中，空间变化的应力将被施加到流体。这两组实验代表了两种可能的涡旋形成机制在背风的岛屿。表面附近的三维速度将使用粒子图像测速仪来确定。这些数据将使我们能够检查的动态生成的涡流和它们的初始演变的涡流平流远离圆柱。更广泛的影响：这个项目将提高我们的理解海洋的中尺度和亚中尺度动力学，并可能解决一些流行的假设有关的涡流形成的岛屿及其对生物生产力的影响。将与西班牙研究漩涡对加那利群岛周围生态系统动态影响的科学家建立密切合作。还将与有兴趣研究岛屿产生漩涡的建模者进行合作。