Collaborative Research: Submesoscale Frontal Dynamics and Exchange at an Upwelling Bay
Funded by the NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) .
LEAD-PI: Dr. Thomas Connolly (Moss Landing Marine Lab)
CO-PIs: Dr. Piero Mazzini (VIMS - William and Mary), Dr. Ryan Walter (California Polytechnic State University) and Dr. Christopher Edwards (UC Santa Cruz)
Period: September, 2023 to September 2026
Total funded: $1,624,249
Abstract:
This study will examine physical processes associated with fronts that develop off a coastline point in San Luis Obispo Bay, at the transition of zones exposed to and protected from winds. Information for the study will be derived from measurements of flows, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen obtained from instruments carried on a ship and fixed to the bottom of the ocean. These data will be supplemented by computer model results at different spatial scales, able to resolve the fronts. Additionally, the processes at fronts will be compared to theoretical considerations. The study will suggest ecological implications of the physical processes that generate and dissipate the fronts. The project will support early-career scientists and will recruit historically underserved students. It will generate graphic art related to the project?s findings that will be displayed in an aquarium and used for outreach activities.
The proposed work has the goal of examining cross-shelf submesoscale exchange processes associated with persistent thermal fronts downstream of topographic features in an upwelling bay, concentrating on the influence of sea breezes. The goal will be addressed with coordinated high-resolution measurements of turbulent mixing (surveys and moorings of hydrography, velocity and microstructure profiles) together with high-resolution modeling efforts. The study focuses on a frontal feature in a bay, San Luis Obispo Bay, that is impacted by hypoxia and algal blooms. Biologically relevant measurements (notably DO) will enable examination of the biological implications of the proposed cross-front exchange mechanism. The primary dynamical mechanism that will be evaluated at the cross-front exchange is the role, and validity, of the turbulent thermal wind balance. As broader impacts, the study will involve four researchers from different institutions. It will provide measurements of dissolved oxygen and will include particle-tracking calculations for larval connectivity. The project will support two early-career researchers, will adopt a field code-of-conduct and will recruit students from ?diverse non-PhD granting institutions.? Results will be portrayed in graphic art with descriptions in English and Spanish, to be included in a local aquarium and used in various outreach efforts.