Research summary

My research seeks to understand small-scale dynamics that potentially have climate-scale impacts. Specifically, I seek to better understand mesoscale and submesoscale processes in the ocean and their impact on turbulence and mixing in the ocean. Mesoscale currents can be broadly classified as having horizontal scales of 50-200 km, vertical scales of 0.5-1 km, and evolving on time scales of 10-30 days. In contrast, submesoscale currents are often classified as having scales much smaller than these: 1-30 km in the horizontal, 10-200 m in the vertical, and evolving over hours to days. Examples of phenomena common to both include ocean surface fronts, deep boundary flows, and vortices. However, because the intensity of submesoscale currents are an order of magnitude greater, submesoscale phenomena have the ability to generate turbulence and mixing, with potential impacts on global ocean circulation.