"The Gulf Stream: Barrier, Blender...or Breadmaker? Enhanced Mixing at Sharp Ocean Fronts" 

Jacob Wenegrat

Assistant Professor

University of Maryland - Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science

November 3, 2023, 11:30 AM

IN-PERSON in Cannon 202 and via ITV in Robinson 206

Hosted by Xinfeng Liang

Abstract: The Gulf Stream front separates the North Atlantic subtropical and subpolar gyres, which have very distinct physical, biological, and chemical properties. How much exchange occurs across the front, and what causes it, is a long-standing question in physical oceanography. Here I will discuss unique direct observations of mixing across the front, which, along with high-resolution numerical models, show how instabilities of sharp fronts generate shear dispersion that enhances exchange between the ocean gyres. This submesoscale (horizontal scales of 0.1-10 km) source of mixing may play a significant role in the freshwater and nutrient budgets of the subtropics, but will not be directly resolved in climate models for many decades, and I will conclude with a discussion of how we are working to quantify the global importance of these processes both at the surface and in the abyss.

Zoom Recording ID: 94428117948 UUID: Zz8MiOn+SVeiT8UVwl93KA== Meeting Time: 2023-11-03 03:03:19pmGMT