The subject of ocean turbulence is in a state of discovery and development with many intellectual challenges. This book describes the principal dynamic processes that control the distribution of turbulence, its dissipation of kinetic energy and its effects on the dispersion of properties such as heat, salinity, and dissolved or suspended matter in the deep ocean, the shallow coastal and the continental shelf seas. It focuses on the measurement of turbulence, and the consequences of turbulent motion in the oceanic boundary layers at the sea surface and near the seabed. Processes are illustrated by examples of laboratory experiments and field observations. The Turbulent Ocean provides an excellent resource for senior undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as an introduction and general overview for researchers. It will be of interest to all those involved in the study of fluid motion, in particular geophysical fluid mechanics, meteorology and the dynamics of lakes.
This textbook provides an introduction to turbulent motion occurring naturally in the ocean on scales ranging from millimetres to hundreds of kilometres. It describes turbulence in the mixed boundary layers at the sea surface and seabed, turbulent motion in the density-stratified water between, and the energy sources that support and sustain ocean mixing. Little prior knowledge of physical oceanography is assumed. The text is supported by numerous figures, extensive further reading lists, and more than 50 exercises that are graded in difficulty. Detailed solutions to the exercises are available to instructors online at www.cambridge.org/9780521859486. This textbook is intended for undergraduate courses in physical oceanography, and all students interested in multidisciplinary aspects of how the ocean works, from the shoreline to the deep abyssal plains. It also forms a useful lead-in to the author's more advanced graduate textbook, The Turbulent Ocean (Cambridge University Press, 2005).
The simulation of turbulent mixing processes in marine waters is one of the most pressing tasks in oceanography. It is rendered difficult by the various complex phenomena occurring in these waters like strong stratification, ex ternal and internal waves, wind generated turbulence, Langmuir circulation etc. The need for simulation methods is especially great in this area because the physical processes cannot be investigated in the laboratory. Tradition ally, empirical bulk type models were used in oceanography, which, however, cannot account for many of the complex physical phenomena occurring. In engineering, statistical turbulence models describing locally the turbulence mixing processes were introduced in the early seventies, such as the k E model which is still one of the most widely used models in Computational Fluid Dy namics. Soon after, turbulence models were applied more and more also in the atmospheric sciences, and here the k kL model of Mellor and Yamada became particularly popular. In oceanography, statistical turbulence mod els were introduced rather late, i. e. in the eighties, and mainly models were taken over from the fields mentioned above, with some adjustments to the problems occurring in marine waters. In the literature on turbulence model applications to oceanography problems controversial findings and claims are reported about the various models, creating also an uncertainty on how well the models work in marine water problems.
Four years have elapsed since the preparation of the original Russian version of this book. This is a long time when dealing with such actively expanding fields of oceanography as research into small-scale structures and the investigation of hydro physical processes. Over this period new quick-response devices have been developed and successfully used for measurements taken in various ocean areas. Improvements in high-frequency meters used to measure hydrophysical parameters has enabled workers to obtain more accurate absolute values of the fluctuations measured by such devices. In view of this scientific progress, some of the ideas presented in this book now require additional explanation. Great care should be used in dealing with the absolute fluctuation values of hydro physical fields, since the methods used for the determination of the accuracy of the high-frequency measuring devices have been imperfect in the past. Never theless, it would appear that the results of the investigations summarized in this book have not lost their importance, and that the established laws governing small-scale pro cesses in the ocean are of a sufficiently universal nature and, as such, have not been shattered with the qualitative and quantitative advances in devices used for measurements taken in oceans. The authors feel that their work is of interest to English-speaking readers. The appearance of the English translation of the book is, to a very large extent, due to the tremendous amount of editing work brilliantly done by Prof. H. Tennekes.
This volume contains the proceedings of the 19th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Hydrodynamics, the programme of which focused on the relationships between small-scale mixing and large-scale features, transports and processes. The presentation of papers on various methods of parameterization of small-scale turbulent mixing for numerical ocean models was particularly encouraged and this resulted in more than a third of the papers presented at the Colloquium dealing in one way or another with the parameterization problems; many of these papers demonstrate the direct results of modelling. These proportions are well reflected in this volume of proceedings and thus emphasize once more the importance of small-scale turbulence research for such vital practical applications as ocean modelling and forecasting.
Ocean Mixing: Drivers, Mechanisms and Impacts presents a broad panorama of one of the most rapidly-developing areas of marine science. It highlights the state-of-the-art concerning knowledge of the causes of ocean mixing, and a perspective on the implications for ocean circulation, climate, biogeochemistry and the marine ecosystem. This edited volume places a particular emphasis on elucidating the key future questions relating to ocean mixing, and emerging ideas and activities to address them, including innovative technology developments and advances in methodology. Ocean Mixing is a key reference for those entering the field, and for those seeking a comprehensive overview of how the key current issues are being addressed and what the priorities for future research are. Each chapter is written by established leaders in ocean mixing research; the volume is thus suitable for those seeking specific detailed information on sub-topics, as well as those seeking a broad synopsis of current understanding. It provides useful ammunition for those pursuing funding for specific future research campaigns, by being an authoritative source concerning key scientific goals in the short, medium and long term. Additionally, the chapters contain bespoke and informative graphics that can be used in teaching and science communication to convey the complex concepts and phenomena in easily accessible ways. - Presents a coherent overview of the state-of-the-art research concerning ocean mixing - Provides an in-depth discussion of how ocean mixing impacts all scales of the planetary system - Includes elucidation of the grand challenges in ocean mixing, and how they might be addressed
Oceanographic and Marine Environmental Studies around the Arabian Peninsula presents studies on a range of topics related to the marine environment of the Red Sea and Arabian (Persian) Gulf. This book contains invited and peer-reviewed chapters from diverse researchers active in their respective fields. The chapters offer new data and include a comprehensive lists of references. Some of the main topics included in the book are pollution from heavy metals and petroleum, hydro-environmental characteristics of the seas, conservation of marine ecosystems, risk of climate change on the Red Sea region, and the mangrove environment. With new developments occurring in the coastal regions in recent decades, the book will be not only a helpful resource to researchers but also be a valuable reference for anyone curious about managing the marine and littoral environment of these two unique seas.
This book covers those subject areas considered essential for the transfer and transport of pollutants in the marine environment. This publication will stimulate discussions and interdisciplinary research relevent to pollution problems as well as serve as an educational reference book.