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Details of Award

NERC Reference : NE/R006652/1

NSFGEO-NERC: Stimulated Loss of Balance

Grant Award

Principal Investigator:
Professor J Vanneste, University of Edinburgh, Sch of Mathematics
Science Area:
Marine
Overall Classification:
Panel B
ENRIs:
Environmental Risks and Hazards
Global Change
Natural Resource Management
Pollution and Waste
Science Topics:
Internal waves
Ocean modelling
Ocean turbulence
Oceanic eddies
Ocean Circulation
Abstract:
Recent results obtained by the PIs show that the advection and refraction of near-inertial waves (NIWs) by mesoscale flow is necessarily accompanied by a transfer of energy from the mesoscale to NIWs: the presence of externally forced NIWs stimulates a loss of energy from the geostrophically and hydrostatically balanced component of the flow. This process, stimulated loss of balance (SLOB), should be contrasted with the much more studied and weaker process known as spontaneous loss of balance. The spontaneous version occurs at order one Rossby number and without externally forced waves. But the stimulated version is active even at small Rossby number and hence, we hypothesize, throughout the ocean. The main objectives of this proposal are to assess and develop the hypothesis that SLOB plays a major role in the mesoscale energy budget, and to investigate SLOB by components of the internal wave spectrum other than NIWs, particularly the internal tide (IT). This will be achieved by the development of new, phase-averaged models coupling the dynamics of internal waves with that of the balanced mesoscale flow, and through numerical solution of both these models and of the three-dimensional Boussinesq equations. The outcome will be a quantitative understanding of the role played by SLOB in the ocean energy budget.
Period of Award:
1 Aug 2017 - 31 Jan 2021
Value:
£212,054
Authorised funds only
NERC Reference:
NE/R006652/1
Grant Stage:
Completed
Scheme:
Standard Grant FEC
Grant Status:
Closed

This grant award has a total value of £212,054  

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FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)

DI - Other CostsIndirect - Indirect CostsDA - InvestigatorsDI - StaffDA - Estate CostsDA - Other Directly AllocatedDI - T&S
£3,252£67,642£23,182£75,143£22,997£9,106£10,732

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