Research
 | Internal Waves, Mixing and Turbulence |
Internal waves, i.e., waves in the interior of the ocean, are as common as waves at the sea surface. The "breaking" of internal waves leads to phenomena such as vertical mixing and energy dissipation. Understanding internal waves provides a vital link in the understanding of motion (i.e, mixing) in the ocean.
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| Air-Sea Interaction and Upper Ocean Dynamics |
Energy exchange between the atmosphere and ocean drives the motion of both fluids, making the processes that occur within this 'boundary layer' particularly important. Many important features of the upper ocean, such as the depth of the well-mixed surface layer, eddies (e.g. Gulf Stream rings) and fronts, both modulate how these exchanges occur and are modified though forcing by the atmosphere. Upper ocean processes also exert strong influences on the biology of the world's oceans.
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Circulation at scales ranging from those of small estuaries to entire ocean basins play critical roles in a wide variety of processes, including contaminant transport, biological activity, fisheries health and climate variability. The study of ocean circulation requires an understanding of processes spanning a dramatic range of spatial and temporal scales. Investigations can thus take many forms, from tightly focused process studies to multi-year efforts to monitor the variability of large-scale currents.
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While light and other electromagnetic waves travel only very short distances in the ocean, acoustic (sound) waves have been observed to travel through the ocean half way around the earth. Man-made sound
waves are used in communications, to measure ocean sound velocity variability, to map bottom topography, and study subseabed structures. OPD research is focused on the fluctuations in acoustic waves produced by their interaction with various ocean processes such as tides, internal waves, mixing and turbulence.
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As the ocean flows through the Earth's magnetic field, secondary electric and magnetic fields are generated. Measuring the fields can yield information about the ocean's movement. Electromagnetic fields produced by oceanic, atmospheric, ionospheric, magnetospheric and artificial sources are useful to understand because they can influence undersea navigation and communication.
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| Instrumentation Development | ^ TOP |
Observations motivate most major advances in physical oceanography, and technology thus plays a critical role in oceanographic research. Significant technological development can produce unique measurement capabilities that offer new insights and may dramatically change our ideas of how the ocean-atmosphere system functions.
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