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MTPSurf:
Model study on turbulent processes in the oceanic surface layer

Duration:
01.01.2023 - 31.12.2023
Project manager:
PD Dr. Lars Umlauf
Funding:
DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
Researchfocus:
Focus 1: Small- and meso-scale processes
Partner:
University of Western Australia (UWA)
Funding by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is provided in this project to establish a collaboration between early-career scientists from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW). During mutual research visits, the interaction of Diurnal Warm Layers (DWLs) and submesocale fronts, both evolving in the ocean surface layer, will be studied based on a simple one-dimensional (vertical) modeling system. Both DWLs and surface-layer fronts in the ocean are important factors for climate system modeling, and the new insights gained in this project have the potential to improve climate model predictions. Based on an existing DWL setup in the modeling software GOTM, the numerical code will be modified to represent the basic effects of lateral fronts. After performing a set of systematic numerical simulations, the end product will be an understanding of the effect of various parameters of the problem like the surface heat flux, wind speed, frontal strength, etc.