Measuring Mesoscale Mixing: Developing New Spatial Statistics to Analyze Ocean Observations

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Mesoscale ocean dynamics play a critical role in the Earth system by moving and mixing properties within the ocean and providing essential feedback mechanisms for the ocean's large-scale thermodynamics. This project will (1) use a hierarchy of numerical models to quantify the benefits of these novel statistics under different flow regimes and under sampling patterns consistent with observational platforms, (2) develop new structure functions (statistics that depend on spatial differences and cross-correlations of data) which increase the accuracy of mesoscale flux measurements and assess them in models, and (3) apply these statistics to a range of observations to explore their additional insights into mesoscale fluxes. This project will provide unprecedented quantification of mesoscale ocean fluxes and prepare scientists with the optimal tools to analyze future data sets. These observations will inform us about the energy pathways through the Earth system and will aid the evaluation of the fidelity of conceptual and numerical models, and the accuracy of their forecast capabilities.This project will use an array of structure functions to more accurately quantify mesoscale ocean fluxes of energy, enstrophy, and other dynamic properties. It result in optimal tools to analyze future data sets. These goals will be achieved through three concurrent research threads. First, a range of numerical models will simulate various dynamical regimes to identify and compare the utility of different structure functions for assessing both the full model fields and emulated observations from a range of measurement platforms. These models span from idealized two-dimensional dynamics to primitive equation models that include ocean-atmosphere coupling and the effects of dynamics outside of the mesoscale. Their hierarchy will diagnose the conditions under which different structure functions can quantify mesoscale fluxes, and the limitations of structure functions that result from sampling or measurement biases, or from multi-scale physical processes. Second, new structure functions will be developed which are tailored to maximize information from models and specific ocean data collection methods. As they are developed, these new structure functions will be included in our analysis of numerical models. Finally, the results of the numerical model analysis will guide a diagnosis of mesoscale fluxes from observational data sets by applying appropriate structure functions to these data sets.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.