Integrated Calendar

In this talk I will introduce my research on scale interactions in oceanic processes and the implications of these interactions on the large-scale circulation.

I will discuss the nature and importance of scale interactions in the physics of the ocean and the ocean's role in the climate system, and why our understanding of these interactions is critical to our ability to model the ocean in climate models, interpret our observations and simulations of the oceanic circulation, and design effective observing systems.

I will then describe two examples from my current research that aim to further our
understanding of specific ocean processes in which scale interactions are key: 1. a study of eddy-mean flow interactions in oceanic western boundary current systems such as the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Extensions, and 2. work on wave-mean flow-turbulence interactions in a Southern Ocean mixing hotspot. Each considers different interacting scales and examines different processes which in turn have different impacts on the larger-scale circulation. They share however a common aim, to understand the physical mechanisms underpinning the observed system behaviour, as well as a common approach, uniting process-targeted observations and idealised process modelling.