Near-surface physics and bio/physics

近地表物理学和生物/物理学

• 批准号: 194270-2006
• 负责人: Pawlowicz, Richard
• 金额: $ 1.81万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=365253
• 关键词: Near; surface; physics; bio

The ocean and the atmosphere link together at the water surface. At small scales, winds produce waves, the sun provides heat and light, gases diffuse upwards and downwards, and deeper motions bring water up to and away from the surface. I would like to learn more about what happens in and near this thin skin, and try to use this information to understand other fundamental processes of oceanography. One research direction is based on the observation that to the eye (and in light winds), water often looks different in different places, sometimes smooth and shiny, sometimes dark and rough. These differences are sometimes caused by waves and turbulence internal to the flow (i.e. underneath the surface). Observing the surface and its changes over a period of hours can therefore give clues about what is happening below. These observations can be quantified using digital time-lapse imaging, a technique I have been developing for some time, in combination with more traditional measurements. I would like to further develop the imaging technique and use it to study a variety of nonlinear wave processes. In addition to explaining the visible features of the ocean surface, and advancing a fascinating branch of fluid mechanics, a better understanding of internal waves and stratified flows will be important in improving the capabilities of fine-resolution ocean and atmosphere models. A second research direction involves exploring the possibilities of making complex measurements of surface properties using inline systems mounted on ferries. By measuring one or more dissolved gases as well as standard parameters it may be possible to monitor biological activity in the upper ocean on scales of days to seasons. Understanding the variability of production is important in understanding the air/sea fluxes of CO2 (which in turn govern climate), and developing such applications for ferries may have significant impact as many such systems are currently in operation or proposed. Several possible technologies will be investigated to identify their possibilities.

海洋和大气在水面连接在一起。在小尺度上，风产生波浪，太阳提供热量和光线，气体向上和向下扩散，更深的运动将水带到表面和远离表面。我想更多地了解在这层薄薄的表层内和附近发生了什么，并试图利用这些信息来理解海洋学的其他基本过程。一个研究方向是基于这样的观察：在肉眼看来(以及在微风中)，水在不同的地方往往看起来不同，有时光滑而有光泽，有时黑暗而粗糙。这些差异有时是由流动内部(即表面下)的波动和湍流引起的。因此，观察地表及其在一段时间内的变化可以为下面发生的事情提供线索。这些观测可以使用数字时间推移成像进行量化，这是我已经开发了一段时间的一种技术，与更传统的测量相结合。我想进一步发展成像技术，并用它来研究各种非线性波动过程。除了解释海洋表面的可见特征和推进流体力学的一个迷人分支外，更好地了解内波和分层流动对于提高高分辨率海洋和大气模型的能力将是重要的。第二个研究方向包括探索使用安装在渡轮上的直列系统对表面属性进行复杂测量的可能性。通过测量一种或多种溶解气体以及标准参数，有可能在几天到四个季节的尺度上监测上层海洋的生物活动。了解生产的可变性对于了解二氧化碳的大气/海洋通量(反过来控制气候)很重要，开发此类渡轮应用程序可能会产生重大影响，因为许多此类系统目前正在运行或正在提议中。将对几种可能的技术进行调查，以确定它们的可能性。