Air-Sea Interaction and Transport Mechanisms in the Ocean

I dette prosjektet har vi anvendt og utviklet videre vaar Large Eddy Scale og RANS havmodeller for aa beregne samvirket mellom stroem og boelger fra den fri overflata til havbunnen. Vi har ferdigstilt en LES modell for kombinert boelge-stroem stroemning som er blitt testet med forskjellige kombinasjoner av boelger og stroem. Vider har vi oppnaadd resultater for kombinert tidevann og vind indusert stroem vha. vaar RANS modell. Et betydelig stykke arbeid er gjort paa beregning og visualisering av boelge-stroem indusert drift og resulterende sediment transport naer havbunnen. Resultater er presentert i anerkjente internasjonale peer reviewed journaler og konferanser.

We propose to apply and further develop our two existing Large Eddy Scale (LES) ocean models to predict the air-sea interaction and the resulting wave-current flow from the free surface to the bottom. This includes the entire dynamics of the wind above th e waves, the free surface, as well as in the entire water column from the free surface to the bottom; these flows are mutual dependent. We propose to study the resulting shear stress and turbulence exchange mechanisms between the ocean and the atmosphere (relevant to climate research) as well as transport mechanisms both in the near ocean surface wind boundary layer above the waves, and in the ocean flow from the free surface to the bottom. We intend to utilize these results to improve large-scale storm s urge and meteorological models in collaboration with the group of Peter Nielsen at Queensland University. Since our models are capable of calculating the three-dimensional turbulent structures; this facilitates prediction of flow phenomena which can not b e predicted with present models. Finally we propose to apply our models to improve existing wave-current models valid for the entire water column, taking wind into account. It is important to notice that the free surface forms part of the solution in this project.