Fundamentals of the Oceanic Eddy Backscatter

模拟大尺度流动的综合性海洋环流模式必须考虑无法用数值方法解决的小尺度湍流的影响。这些效应是非线性的，因此难以捕捉。本计画将着重于中尺度涡与大尺度涡的互动，特别是涡场的随机性与瞬时性对平均流的影响。将要解决的中心问题是这些相互作用如何产生大规模电流。在海洋中，这一过程无处不在。在这个项目中，来自伍兹霍尔海洋研究所的一位科学家将把这些涡动效应视为随机过程。这个建议的主要目的是获得物理理解的力学背后的这些随机强迫的反应。特别是，这将使他考虑“向上梯度”通量，不能处理的涡动粘度，这是常用的环流模式。 这项研究可能具有非常重要的广泛影响，因为它将为海洋环流模型中湍流参数化的新方法提供物理基础，从而提高气候模型的性能。

Comprehensive ocean general circulation models that simulate large scale flows must incorporate the effects of smaller scale turbulence that cannot be resolved numerically. These effects are nonlinear and thus are difficult to capture. This project will focus on how mesoscale eddies interact with the large scale and in particular what the effect of randomness and transience of the eddy field is on the mean flow. The central problem that will be tackled is how large scale currents are generated by these interactions. In the ocean, this process is ubiquitous. In this project, a scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will treat these eddy effects as stochastic processes. The primary objective of this proposal is to gain a physical understanding of the mechanics behind the response of these stochastic forcings. In particular, this will allow him to consider "up gradient" fluxes which can not be handled by eddy viscosities, which are commonly used in circulation models. This novel approach carries an element of risk that it will not be successful.The study potentially has very important broader impacts because it will provide a physical basis for a new means of parameterizing turbulence in ocean circulation models and thus climate models which should improve their performance.