Funding is provided to conduct a large coordinated experiment near the Hawaiian Ridge to determine whether sites with rough topography are responsible for the mixing of the global ocean. The goals are to identify the major energy pathways for ocean mixing and achieve an approximate energy budget for the region. A companion modeling effort will focus primarily on the issue of tidal scattering as an energy source for ocean mixing while a historical analysis of data collected in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands will help guide the survey program in determining the location and ubiquity of regions where strong mixing activity takes place. Under this particular component of the Farfield experiment, an array of horizontal electrometer and bottom pressure recorders will be deployed on either side of the Hawaiian Ridge to complement a tomographic array. The objective is to quantify the barotropic energy flux convergence at the Ridge and the flux divergence associated with low mode baroclinic waves radiation. The difference is a measure of the tidal power available for mixing at the Ridge.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)
Application #
9819526
Program Officer
Eric C. Itsweire
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1999-11-01
Budget End
2003-10-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
$315,908
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92093