Directional Phase-Resolved Broadband Observations of Breaking Waves

波浪破碎调节海-气界面上的能量、动量和质量的流动，所有这些对天气和气候都很重要。突变是多尺度和高度非线性的，因此在分析上是不可追踪的。我们的大部分理解都是建立在理论约束和实验室、数值和实地实验的基础上的。尽管最近取得了进展，但我们预测破裂的能力仍然有限，而海浪频谱的定向扩散是一个尚未得到很好研究的重要因素。最近的研究表明，波浪破碎耗散时间尺度在各个方向上并不是均匀的，它通过与海浪的非线性共振相互作用，促进了短于主导波长的海浪的定向传播。这个项目将测量波浪和波浪破碎，包括它们在波长和方向上的传播，从一个固定的塔，以更好地了解这些共振相互作用。生成的数据和代码将以开放获取的方式在线提供。该项目的成果将纳入物理海洋学和海-气相互作用课程。该项目将资助一名研究生，至少一名本科生将参与本科生研究项目。该项目将支持一名拉美裔调查员的研究，这名调查员是康涅狄格州大学一个试点项目的导师，该项目服务于传统上代表性不足的社区的学生。这项研究的结果将被用来为当地社区内的外展活动和事件生成教育材料，包括每年在当地小学为二年级学生举办的海洋周活动，以及青年探险家科学计划，该计划为格罗顿/新伦敦地区代表性不足的社区的高中生提供研究和科学接触。这项建议的总体目标是提高对定向破浪运动学及其对动力学的影响的理解，以约束和改进频谱破碎耗散参数，并最终改进海浪频谱模型。将使用玛莎葡萄园岛海岸观测台的立体红外和可见光图像对定向能谱和定向断裂运动学进行一致测量。观测将在各种条件下进行，包括大风(10米/S)、错位风和主导波，从而在广泛的尺度上详细描述二维破裂运动学和动力学。此外，该项目将各向异性地描述破碎概率；量化运动学波浪破碎起始标准；分析短重力波的方向性能量平衡；以及约束和改进波浪破碎耗散参数。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。

Wave breaking regulates fluxes of energy, momentum, and mass across the air-sea interface, all of which are important for weather and climate. Breaking is multiscale and highly nonlinear and therefore is not analytically trackable. Much of our understanding is statistical, built on theoretical constraints and laboratory, numerical, and field experiments. Despite recent advances, our ability to predict breaking remains limited, and the directional spread of the wave spectrum is an important factor that has not been well studied. Recent studies show that wave-breaking dissipation timescales are not uniform in all directions, and through non-linear resonant interactions with waves, it contributes to the directional spread of waves shorter than the dominant wavelength. This project will measure waves and wave-breaking, including their spread in both wavelengths and directions, from a fixed tower, in order to better understand these resonant interactions. The data and code generated will be available online with open access. Results from this project will be incorporated into courses in Physical Oceanography and Air-Sea Interaction. The project will support a graduate student and at least one undergraduate student will participate in an undergraduate research project. The project will support the research of a Hispanic investigator, who is a mentor in a pilot program at UConn serving students of traditionally underrepresented communities. The results from this study will be used to generate educational material for outreach activities and events within the local community, including the yearly event Ocean Week at local elementary schools for 2nd-year students, and the Young Explorer Science program which provides research and science exposure to high school students within underrepresented communities of the Groton/New London area.The overarching goal of this proposal is to improve the understanding of directional wave-breaking kinematics and their impact on the dynamics to constrain and improve spectral breaking dissipation parameterizations and ultimately improve wave spectral models. Coincident measurements will be made of the directional energy spectrum and directional breaking kinematics using stereo infrared and visible imagery from Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory Air-Sea Interaction Tower. Observations will be made under a wide range of conditions including high winds (10 m/s), misaligned winds, and dominant waves allowing for a detailed characterization of the two-dimensional breaking kinematics and dynamics over a wide range of scales. Additionally, the project will characterize the breaking probability anisotropically; quantify kinematic wave-breaking onset criterion; analyze the directional energy balance of short gravity waves; and constrain and improve wave-breaking dissipation parameterizations.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.