[SLS] Pavel Berlorff (Imperial College London)

“Oceanic Eddy-Induced Transport: Full-Tensor Approach”

In geophysical turbulence effects of small-scale motions on the large-scale ones are often formulated in terms
of turbulent (eddy) diffusion characterized by the eddy diffusivity coefficient. Within this context we focused on passive-tracer transport induced by mesoscale oceanic eddies and applied brute-force approach, without any simplifications and extra assumptions. The uncovered new levels of complexity of the corresponding full-tensor eddy diffusivity coefficient, referred to as the “transport tensor”, call for reconsideration of how the eddy diffusion and corresponding scale interactions are treated in observations, general circulation models and theory.

Sack Lunch Seminar Series —
Informal seminar series within PAOC (Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate) that focuses on more specialized topics than the PAOC Colloquium. The presentations are either given by an invited speaker or by a member of PAOC and can focus on new research or discussion of a paper of particular interest.

Contact: sacklunch-committee@mit.edu