The propagation and breaking of topographically generated internal waves in the ocean

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0854131VanderhoffThe topographic generation, propagation and breaking of oceanic internal waves is an essential part of the ocean mixing processes that contribute to the general circulation of the ocean, the exchange of heat and gasses with the atmosphere, and the dispersal of pollutants and nutrients. This project aims to develop modeling tools, perform simulations and compare with observational data to understand the dynamics of the topographic generation of internal waves in the ocean, how these waves propagate through a realistic ocean environment with vertically varying density and shear, gain additional insight into the subtle processes of how these short internal waves evolve toward breaking and dissipation, and how to quantify and parameterize the dissipation and mixing effects of breaking. The primary methods used will be recently developed hybrid ray-tracing techniques that allow the efficient calculation of the propagation of internal waves through a realistic ocean environment, including the calculation of wave amplitudes, and that eliminate or minimize the need for corrections at ray singularities. The simulations will be closely coordinated with ocean observations, specifically with data obtained during the NSF-sponsored Hawaiian Ocean Mixing Experiment, of the generation of internal waves by ocean bottom topography and their subsequent propagation. This investigation will allow for funding and training of graduate and undergraduate students in the concepts and practice of oceanography, internal wave theory, ray methods, data analysis and large-scale numerical simulation techniques.