Ocean Dynamics from Float Pairs

Abstract

Abstract : Regularly-spaced Eulerian arrays of current meters are becoming rare, while logarithmic arrays are all but unknown. A global subsurface ocean observing system is only a vision at this time. Subsurface floats are increasingly being deployed, albeit sparingly, in many ocean current systems. It is therefore imperative to be able to make dynamically sound estimates of current shears and pressure gradients from float data. It is obvious that a pair of floats provides Lagrangian spatial gradients, for any parameter measured by both floats, but only in the direction of initial separation. A cluster of three or more floats would yield the gradient in all directions. The scientific objective is the estimation of all components of Lagrangian spatial gradients using a float pair, by exploiting the Lagrangian formulation of fluid dynamics. The technical objective is the computation of these gradients using low-order dynamics, in a high-level programming environment on a Personal Computer.