Ewa Jarosz

Bottom-Up Determination of Air-Sea Momentum Exchange Under a Major Tropical Cyclone

As a result of increasing frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, an accurate forecasting of cyclone evolution and ocean response is becoming even more important to reduce threats to lives and property in coastal regions. To improve predictions, accurate evaluation of the air-sea momentum exchange is required. Using current observations recorded during a major tropical cyclone, we have estimated this momentum transfer from the ocean side of the air-sea interface, and we discuss it in terms of the drag coefficient. For winds between 20 and 48 meters per second, this coefficient initially increases and peaks at winds of about 32 meters per second before decreasing.

Observed Oceanic Response over the Upper Continental Slope and Outer Shelf during Hurricane Ivan

Abstract Hurricane Ivan passed directly over an array of 14 acoustic Doppler current profilers deployed along the outer continental shelf and upper slope in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Currents in excess of 200 cm s−1 were generated during this hurricane. Shelf currents followed Ekman dynamics with overlapping surface and bottom layers during Ivan’s approach and transitioned to a dominant surface boundary layer as the wind stress peaked. Slope currents at the onset of Ivan were wind driven near the surface, but deeper in the water column they were dominated during and after the passage of Ivan by subinertial waves with a period of 2–5 days that had several characteristics of topographic Rossby waves. Currents on the slope at 50 m and greater depths commonly exceeded 50 cm s−1. Surprisingly, the strongest currents were present to the left of the storm track on the shelf while more energetic currents were to the right of the hurricane path on the slope during the forced stage. Near-inertial motion last...

Optical turbulence on underwater image degradation in natural environments

It is a well-known fact that the major degradation source on electro-optical imaging underwater is from scattering by particles of various origins and sizes. Recent research indicates that, under certain conditions, the apparent degradation could also be caused by the variations of index of refraction associated with temperature and salinity microstructures in the ocean and lakes. The combined impact has been modeled previously through the simple underwater imaging model. The current study presents the first attempts in quantifying the level of image degradation due to optical turbulence in natural waters in terms of modulation transfer functions using measured turbulence dissipation rates. Image data collected from natural environments during the Skaneateles Optical Turbulence Exercise are presented. Accurate assessments of the turbulence conditions are critical to the model validation and were measured by two instruments to ensure consistency and accuracy. Optical properties of the water column in the field were also measured in coordination with temperature, conductivity, and depth. The results show that optical turbulence degrades the image quality as predicted and on a level comparable to that caused by the particle scattering just above the thermocline. Other contributing elements involving model closure, including temporal and spatial measurement scale differences among sensors and mitigation efforts, are discussed.

Dynamics of the circulation in the Sea of Marmara: numerical modeling experiments and observations from the Turkish straits system experiment

During September 2008 and February 2009, the NR/V Alliance extensively sampled the waters of the Sea of Marmara within the framework of the Turkish Straits System (TSS) experiment coordinated by the NATO Undersea Research Centre. The observational effort provided an opportunity to set up realistic numerical experiments for modeling the observed variability of the Marmara Sea upper layer circulation at mesoscale resolution over the entire basin during the trial period, complementing relevant features and forcing factors revealed by numerical model results with information acquired from in situ and remote sensing datasets. Numerical model solutions from realistic runs using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) produce a general circulation in the Sea of Marmara that is consistent with previous knowledge of the circulation drawn from past hydrographic measurements, with a westward meandering current associated with a recurrent large anticyclone. Additional idealized numerical experiments illuminate the role various dynamics play in determining the Sea of Marmara circulation and pycnocline structure. Both the wind curl and the strait flows are found to strongly influence the strength and location of the main mesoscale features. Large displacements of the pycnocline depth were observed during the sea trials. These displacements can be interpreted as storm-driven upwelling/downwelling dynamics associated with northeasterly winds; however, lateral advection associated with flow from the Straits also played a role in some displacements.

Impacts of underwater turbulence on acoustical and optical signals and their linkage

Acoustical and optical signal transmission underwater is of vital interest for both civilian and military applications. The range and signal to noise during the transmission, as a function of system and water optical properties, in terms of absorption and scattering, determines the effectiveness of deployed electro-optical (EO) technology. The impacts from turbulence have been demonstrated to affect system performance comparable to those from particles by recent studies. This paper examines the impacts from underwater turbulence on both acoustic scattering and EO imaging degradation, and establishes a framework that can be used to correlate these. It is hypothesized here that underwater turbulence would influence the acoustic scattering cross section and the optical turbulence intensity coefficient in a similar manner. Data from a recent field campaign, Skaneateles Optical Turbulence Exercise (SOTEX, July, 2010) is used to examine the above relationship. Results presented here show strong correlation between the acoustic scattering cross-sections and the intensity coefficient related to the modulation transfer function of an EO imaging system. This significant finding will pave ways to utilize long range acoustical returns to predict EO system performance.

Subinertial Slope-Trapped Waves in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Current velocity from moored arrays of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) deployed on the outer shelf and slope, south of Mobile Bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, shows evidence of alongslope, generally westward-propagating subinertial baroclinic Kelvin waves with periods of about 16 and 21 days, amplitudes of 5–10 cm s−1, and wavelengths of about 500 km. The observed waves were highly coherent over the slope between about 200 and 500 m and accounted for a significant amount of the current variability below 200 m. The source of the waves could be attributed to effects of the Loop Current on the west Florida slope but is more likely due to direct forcing by Loop Current–generated eddies impacting the experimental area.

Southern Bay of Bengal currents and salinity intrusions during the northeast monsoon

Shipboard velocity and hydrographic profiles collected in December 2013 along with drifter observations, satellite altimetry, global ocean nowcast/forecast products, and coupled model simulations were used to examine the circulation in the southern Bay of Bengal as part of ongoing international research efforts in the region. The observations captured the southward flowing East India Coastal Current (EICC) off southeast India and east of Sri Lanka. The EICC was approximately 100 km wide, with speeds exceeding 1 m s−1 in the upper 75 m. East of the EICC, a subsurface-intensified 300 km-wide, northward current was observed, with maximum speeds as high as 1 m s−1 between 50 m and 75 m. The EICC moved low-salinity water out of the bay and the subsurface northward flow carried high-salinity water into the bay during typical northeast monsoon conditions during a time period when the central equatorial Indian Ocean was experiencing a westerly wind burst related to the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) event. While the northward subsurface high-salinity flow has previously been observed during the southwest monsoon, it was observed during the northeast monsoon. The observations are consistent with northward high-salinity subsurface flow in numerical model solutions. The analysis suggests that direct forcing along the equator may play a significant role for high-salinity intrusions east of Sri Lanka.

Quantification of optical turbulence in the ocean and its effects on beam propagation.

The influence of optically active turbulence on the propagation of laser beams is investigated in clear ocean water over a path length of 8.75 m. The measurement apparatus is described and the effects of optical turbulence on the laser beam are presented. The index of refraction structure constant is extracted from the beam deflection and the results are compared to independently made measures of the turbulence strength (Cn2) by a vertical microstructure profiler. Here we present values of Cn2 taken from aboard the R/V Walton Smith during the Bahamas optical turbulence exercise (BOTEX) in the Tongue of the Ocean between June 30 and July 12, 2011, spanning a range from 10-14 to 10-10  m-2/3. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such measurements are reported for the ocean.

The oceanic response of the Turkish Straits System to an extreme drop in atmospheric pressure

Moorings across all four entry/exit sections of the Dardanelles Strait and the Bosphorus Strait simultaneously measured the response of the Turkish Straits System to the passage of a severe cyclonic storm that included an atmospheric pressure drop of more than 30 mbar in less than 48 h. The bottom pressure response at the Aegean Sea side of the Dardanelles Strait was consistent with an inverted barometer response, but the response at the other sections did not follow an inverted barometer, leading to a large bottom pressure gradient through the Turkish Straits System. Upper-layer flow toward the Aegean Sea was reversed by the storm and flow toward the Black Sea was greatly enhanced. Bottom pressure across the Sea of Marmara peaked 6 h after the passage of the storms minimum pressure. The response on the Dardanelles side was a combination of sea elevation and pycnocline depth rise, and the response on the Bosphorus side was an even greater sea elevation rise and a drop in pycnocline depth. The peak in bottom pressure in the Sea of Marmara was followed by another reverse in the flow through the Dardanelles Strait as flow was then directed away from the Sea of Marmara in both straits. A simple conceptual model without wind is able to explain fluctuations in bottom pressure in the Sea of Marmara to a 0.89–0.96 level of correlation. This stresses the importance of atmospheric pressure dynamics in driving the mass flux of the Turkish Strait System for extreme storms.

Impacts of optical turbulence on underwater imaging

Optical signal transmission underwater is of vital interests to both civilian and military applications. The range and signal to noise during the transmission, as a function of system and water optical properties determines the effectiveness of EO technology. These applications include diver visibility, search and rescue, mine detection and identification, and optical communications. The impact of optical turbulence on underwater imaging has been postulated and observed by many researchers. However, no quantative studies have been done until recently, in terms of both the environmental conditions, and impacts on image quality as a function of range and spatial frequencies. Image data collected from field measurements during SOTEX (Skaneateles Optical Turbulence Exercise, July 22-31, 2010) using the Image Measurement Assembly for Subsurface Turbulence (IMAST) are presented. Optical properties of the water column in the field were measured using WETLabs ac-9 and Laser In Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST, Sequoia Scientific), in coordination with physical properties including CTD (Seabird), dissipation rate of kinetic energy and heat, using both the Vector velocimeter and CT combo (Nortek and PME), and shear probe based Vertical Microstructure Profiler (VMP, Rockland). The strong stratification structure in the water column provides great opportunity to observe various dissipation strengths throughout the water column, which corresponds directly with image quality as shown. Initial results demonstrate general agreement between data collected and model prediction, while discrepancies between measurements and model suggest higher spatial and temporal observations are needed in the future.