FLEAT: A Multiscale Observational and Modeling Program to Understand How Topography Affects Flows in the Western North Pacific
Name
32-4_johnston1.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
9.76 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ac85a89703ba7def92d2e89856659080
Author(s)
Johnston, Shaun
Schönau, Martha
Paluszkiewicz, Terri
MacKinnon, Jennifer
Arbic, Brian
Colin, Patrick
Alford, Matthew
Andres, Magdalena
Centurioni, Luca
Graber, Hans
Date Issued
December 2019
Journal
Oceanography
Publisher
The Oceanography Society
Citation
Johnston, T. M. Shaun et al. "Flow Encountering Abrupt Topography (FLEAT): A multiscale observational and modeling program to understand how topography affects flows in the western North Pacific." Oceanography 32, 4 (December 2019): 10–21 © 2019 Oceanography Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Using a combination of models and observations, the US Office of Naval Research Flow Encountering Abrupt Topography (FLEAT) initiative examines how island chains and submerged ridges affect open ocean current systems, from the hundreds of kilometer scale of large current features to the millimeter scale of turbulence. FLEAT focuses on the western Pacific, mainly on equatorial currents that encounter steep topography near the island nation of Palau. Wake eddies and lee waves as small as 1 km were observed to form as these currents flowed around or over the steep topography. The direction and vertical structure of the incident flow varied over tidal, inertial, seasonal, and interannual timescales, with implications for downstream flow. Models incorporated tides and had grids with resolutions of hundreds of meters to enable predictions of flow transformations as waters encountered and passed around Palau’s islands. In addition to making scientific advances, FLEAT had a positive impact on the local Palauan community by bringing new technology to explore local waters, expanding the country’s scientific infrastructure, maintaining collaborations with Palauan partners, and conducting outreach activities aimed at elementary and high school students, US embassy personnel, and Palauan government officials.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.407
