| Session Details | |
| Section | OS - Ocean Sciences |
| Session Title | The Oceanic Energy Cascade: from Mesoscale, Submesoscale to Small-scale Turbulence |
| Main Convener | Dr. Yisen Zhong (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China) |
| Co-convener(s) | Prof. Zhiyu Liu (Xiamen University, China) Prof. Bo Qiu (University of Hawaii, United States) Prof. Toshiyuki Hibiya (The University of Tokyo, Japan) Dr. Zhenya Song (State Oceanic Administration, China) |
| Session Description | The equilibrium of the oceanic general circulation is achieved by transferring energy from planetary-scale forcing to microscale dissipation. On the contrary, geostrophic turbulence like balanced mesoscale eddies is characterized by inverse energy cascading. Recent studies reveal that a significant forward kinetic energy cascading occurs at an intermediate range - submesoscale - en route to small-scale mixing, which in turn is crucial in determining the oceanic general circulation. However, less is known about the characteristics of scale interactions and the underlying dynamics. This session invites studies concerning all aspects of oceanic energy cascade between mesoscale, submesoscale and dissipative scale, including also research on dynamics of internal gravity waves and their interactions with balanced motions, boundary layer processes, etc. Contributions utilizing theoretical, observational and numerical approaches are all welcome. |