Convection in the Labrador Sea

• Main Author: Davis, Russ E.
• Other Authors: SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY LA JOLLA CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1997
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; *CONVECTION(HEAT TRANSFER); *OCEAN MODELS; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; HEAT FLUX; STRATIFICATION; SUBSURFACE; LABRADOR SEA; The Chimney; Labrador Sea
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA329879; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA329879

The long-term goal of this grant was to describe the process of deep oceanic convection well enough to provide critical tests of, and guidance to, models used to predict subsurface ocean conditions. The observational objective of this project was to define the statistics of plume processes (typical vertical velocities, temperature fluctuations and the vertical heat flux) and to develop a resolved picture of how the chimney scale evolves over two complete cooling seasons. This observational picture was to be compared with model predictions that relate the plume properties to physical parameters (surface buoyancy flux, earth's rotation and the initial oceanic density stratification) and predict how chimney scale structures evolve.