Seminars

CASPO Seminar: Sören Thomsen, "Competition between baroclinic instability and Ekman transport under varying buoyancy forcings in upwelling systems: An idealized analog to the Southern Ocean"

Contact Helen Zhang | jiz053@ucsd.edu

Talk Abstract:

 

Coastal upwelling rates are classically determined by the intensity of the upper-ocean offshore Ekman transport. But (sub-)mesoscale turbulence modulates offshore transport, hence the net upwelling rate. Eddy effects generally oppose the Ekman circulation, resulting in so-called “eddy cancellation”, a process well studied in the Southern Ocean. Here we investigate how air-sea heat/buoyancy fluxes modulate eddy cancellation in an idealized upwelling model. We run CROCO simulations with constant winds but varying heat fluxes with and without…

CASPO Seminar: Lois Baker, "The impact of realistic topographic representation on the parameterisation of lee wave energy flux"

Contact Helen Zhang | jiz053@ucsd.edu

Talk Abstract:

Oceanic lee waves are generated when quasi-steady flows interact with rough topography at the bottom of the ocean. These internal waves provide an important sink of energy and momentum from the mean flow, especially in the Southern Ocean where they are a leading order mechanism for diapycnal mixing. Linear theory with a spectral representation of abyssal hill topography is generally used to estimate lee wave generation for use in parameterisations, and has been verified against idealised simulations. Here, we use a realistic wave resolving simulation of the Drake…

CASPO Seminar: Dhruv Balwada, "Direct observational evidence of an oceanic dual kinetic energy cascade and its seasonality"

Contact Helen Zhang | jiz053@ucsd.edu

Talk Abstract:

 

Ocean turbulence transfers energy across scales, and is a key ingredient in shaping the ocean circulation. Conventional turbulence dynamics suggests that the kinetic energy in the ocean is transferred primarily to larger scales, via the inverse energy cascade that emerges under the influence of Earth's rotation. This raises the question of how dissipation is achieved in oceanic flows, which would necessarily require an energy transfer towards the small molecular scales. It has been argued that flows that…

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Research Compliance Hot Topics and Training Program Webinar: The Role of Research in Social Justice

Join us for a discussion as we explore the role of research in social justice, globally and locally, in celebration of World Day of Social Justice and hear an update from the Research Affairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee. Please email specific questions to rci@ucsd.edu and these will be provided anonymously to the speakers in advance of the session (questions may also be asked at the session).

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