Ocean mixing by topography and mesoscale stirring

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The objective of the proposed research is to improve our understanding of the mixing processes that drive vertical transports in the ocean. This topic is of critical interest, given the role of ocean circulation in governing Earth's climate through gas and heat exchange, as well as nutrient distributions and productivity in the gyres and near the coasts. Surveys of the small-scale and short-lived features that cause mixing in the ocean will be undertaken with a tow-yo vehicle (purchased with CFI New Initiatives funds) capable of sampling extremely quickly. Field work will be carried out in collaboration with Prof. Eric Kunze (UVic) who has microstructure profiling instruments, and with colleagues at DFO and internationally. Over the next several years, my students and I will work on the following key projects, each of which focuses on aspects of ocean mixing: -- Lateral mixing in the North Pacific: We are still in the exciting discovery stage of determining processes that drive lateral mixing in the ocean. I propose to participate in Line-P cruises with my towed profiler in order to get snapshots of the seasonal thermocline on a regular basis. -- Energy cascade from tides to turbulence: The community is perplexed as to the fate of internal tidal energy. We propose to understand tidal mixing on near-critical slopes, and the scattering and breaking of large-scale internal tides as they impact continental shelves. -- Deep water renewal in fjords: My group plans to participate in overflow experiments in Knight Inlet, Saanich Inlet and the Strait of Georgia using moorings, our fast profiler, and dye to determine the physics of entrainment and detrainment in these overflows. -- Cross continental-shelf transport processes: we propose to examine enhanced upwelling in canyons on continental shelves.