Spectral Theory of Advective Diffusion in the Ocean

• Main Authors: Golden, Kenneth M, Zhu, Jingyi, Murphy, N B
• Other Authors: UTAH UNIV SALT LAKE CITY OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROJECTS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; *ADVECTION; DIFFUSION; DIFFUSIVITY; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; SEA ICE; THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY; TRANSPORT PROPERTIES; ADVECTION DIFFUSION EQUATION; Antarctic; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA593131; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA593131

We have employed spectral methods as well as direct simulations of the advection-diffusion equation to calculate the effective diffusivity for model flows. By calculating the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a random matrix depending only on the fluid velocity field, we obtain the spectral measures used in Stieltjes integral representations for the effective diffusivity. The enhancement of thermal transport through sea ice by brine advection was also modeled using the advection-diffusion equation. Moreover, an inverse problem was formulated to study this enhancement of sea ice thermal conductivity and better understand temperature data collected during a 2007 Antarctic expedition.