Submesoscale and Surface Gravity Wave Interactions on the Continental Shelf

横跨海岸线到陆架断裂的区域是陆地-海洋界面上的人类活动与更远的近海生态功能之间的主要联系。一个新兴的概念是，大陆架充满了空间尺度为0.1-1公里的非线性3D流动模式，其短暂的生命周期为几小时到几天，称为亚中尺度。该项目将使用多尺度模拟方法来研究1)波对亚中尺度动力学的影响以及2)不同类别的亚中尺度特征之间的相互作用。所获得的物理知识将改变近岸迁移的概念，这些概念对污染扩散、沿海生物地球化学通量和生态系统功能都有影响。新的实际了解将通过与当地管理人员的沟通，为近岸海洋生态系统和娱乐区水质的管理提供信息。结果将通过与冲浪者基金会的协调，向普通公众和历来任职人数不足的青年传播。研究合作将有助于开发一个在线波浪-环流耦合模式；加强关于在大陆架上养殖巨藻的多机构项目的实际海洋学和技术框架；并使圣巴巴拉海峡巨藻长期生态研究项目的沿海连通性概念现代化。该项目探索了表面重力波对各种次中尺度相干结构的影响及其相互作用，这些结构独特地共存于横跨海岸线到搁板断裂的区域，包括表层密度锋和细丝、地形尾迹、内部潮汐孔、淡水羽流和表面带涡旋。基本假设是：(1)表面重力波对海流的影响可以显著改变近岸亚中尺度相干结构的局地环流、物质通量和空间取向；(2)不同现象的共存驱动亚中尺度相互作用，表现为(A)个别锋面或涡旋之间的零星碰撞和(B)调节层结和物质通量的竞争。工具包括一套高分辨率、多嵌套的ROMS模拟，使用非静力能力和现实的大气、潮汐和表面波平均强迫，以及补充的理想化模拟，以针对这些相互作用的基本动力学和参数依赖。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The region spanning the shoreline to the shelf-break serves as a primary connection between human activity at the land-sea interface and ecological functioning farther offshore. An arising conception is that the shelf is filled with nonlinear, 3D flow patterns that are 0.1 - 1 km in spatial scale with ephemeral lifecycles of hours to days, termed ‘submesoscale’. This project will use a multi-scale modeling approach to examine 1) wave effects on submesoscale dynamics and 2) interactions between different classes of submesoscale features. The gained physical knowledge will transform notions of nearshore transport that imprint onto pollution dispersal, coastal biogeochemical fluxes, and ecosystem functioning. New physical understanding will inform management of nearshore marine ecosystems and water-quality in recreational areas through communication with local managers. Results will be disseminated to the general public and historically underrepresented youth through coordination with the Surfrider Foundation. Research collaborations will aid in the development of an online wave-circulation model coupling; strengthen the physical oceanographic and technological framework of a multi-institutional project on the farming of giant kelp on the continental shelf; and modernize conceptions of coastal connectivity for the Long Term Ecological Research Project on giant kelp in the Santa Barbara Channel. This project explores surface gravity wave effects on- and interactions between- the variety of submesoscale coherent structures that uniquely coexist in the region spanning the shoreline to the shelfbreak, including surface layer density fronts and filaments, topographic wakes, internal tidal bores, freshwater plumes, and surfzone vortices. The primary hypotheses are: (1) surface gravity wave effects on currents can significantly modify the local circulation, material fluxes, and spatial orientation of nearshore submesoscale coherent structures and (2) the coexistence of distinct phenomena drives submesoscale interactions that manifest as (a) sporadic collisions between individual fronts or vortices and (b) competition to regulate stratification and material fluxes. Tools include a suite of high-resolution, multiply-nested ROMS simulations employing non-hydrostatic capability and realistic atmospheric, tidal, and surface wave-averaged forcing, and complementary idealized simulations to target the fundamental dynamics and parametric dependencies of these interactions.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.