Ocean Eddy/Topography Interaction

The grids used in global and large-scale ocean general circulation models have been more and more refined, and modern models used in experiments coupled with global atmospheric circulation models often have grid spacings of less than a degree of latitude/longitude. Still, such grids barely resolve important constraints on the overall ocean circulation, such as those produced by subgrid-scale ocean eddies. In interaction with ocean bottom topography, these eddies can have a significant influence on the structure of currents and the stratification or mixing of ocean layers in density, temperature, and salinity. Robert B. Scott, who co-directs the UT Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) Climate Research Group with Charles S. Jackson, is using the Lonestar and Wrangler machines at TACC to improve the parameterization of ocean eddies. The project is a collaboration with Dr. Bill Merryfield of the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis.