AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting (Feb. 2002) COAST abstracts:

• Ashe et al.
  
• Bane et al.
  
• Barth et al.
  
• Coletti et al.
  
• Haines et al.
  
• Karp-Boss et al.
  
• Kosro et al.
  
• Kurapov et al.
  
• Okeefe et al.
  
• Ott et al.
  
• Perlin et al.
  
• Ruttenberg et al.
  
• Sutor et al.
  

OS41O-05

Microstructure Measurements From a Towed Undulating Platform and
Their Relationship to Mesoscale Circulation and Bottom Topography

Michael W. Ott, Anatoli Y. Erofeev, Jack A. Barth, James N. Moum,
and Alexander Perlin

College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University 

Compared with conventional free-falling profilers, the use of a
microstructure instrument on a towed, undulating platform, such as
the recently-developed MicroSoar, allows for a more rapid survey
of the distribution and magnitude of turbulence over a larger area.
Such an overview is clearly important in our effort to understand the
interplay between wind events, turbulence, and mesoscale circulation.
One of the specific hypotheses to be tested by the Coastal Ocean
Advances in Shelf Transport (COAST) experiment, whose broad aim
is to examine the effect of wind-driven processes on cross-shelf
transport off the Oregon coast, is that patterns of turbulence on
the shelf during both upwelling and downwelling conditions are
influenced by fronts and jets, and the levels of turbulence can
reach sufficient intensity to influence the mesoscale circulation.
In 2001, as part of the COAST experiment, MicroSoar was used to
obtain the widespread measurements of the turbulence field which
allow this hypothesis to be explored.  Values of the temperature
variance dissipation rate ($\chi$) and overturning (Thorpe) scales
from the MicroSoar data reveal the distribution of turbulence
relative to both the coastal jet and bottom topographic features.
These turbulence measurements compare favorably to those made with
a traditional free-falling instrument at the same time and location.