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STUDY OF WAVE-CURRENT-ICE INTERACTIONS OVER THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC

Date

2021-04-28T18:28:24Z

Authors

Lin, Shangfei

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Abstract

This thesis investigates the effects of important physical processes of the wave-current-ice interactions on the surface waves and three-dimensional (3D) circulations in the northwest Atlantic (NWA). A one-way coupled wave-circulation-ice model for the NWA is developed to evaluate four different packages for the wind input and wave dissipation. The model is also used to investigate wave propagations in ice. To improve the performance of the commonly-used drag coefficient, a new parameterization of the drag coefficient is proposed based on observations. A new parameterization for depth-induced wave breaking over shallow waters is also proposed, in which the breaker index has a nonlinear dependence on the bottom slope. These new parameterizations are used in a two-way coupled wave-circulation model for the study of WCIs during Hurricanes Earl and Igor in 2010. The inclusion of WCIs in the coupled model significantly improves the model performance.

Description

My doctoral research was motivated by the highly variable oceanographic conditions over the northwest Atlantic (NWA) under the effects wave-current-ice interactions (WCIIs). With strong tides, large-scale circulations, extreme storms and seasonal sea ice over the NWA, WCIIs are important physical processes affecting the physical environments in this region. The physical processes investigated in this study include the wind input, wave dissipation, depth-induced wave breaking, and wave dissipation and scattering in ice for wave evolution and wave-current interactions (WCIs). The main objective of my thesis was to advance our quantitative and predictive understandings of different mechanisms in the WCIIs and examine their effects on the ocean surface gravity waves, and 3D circulations from deep waters to coastal regions in the NWA.

Keywords

wind input and wave dissipation, wave attenuation in ice, wave-dependent wind stress, depth-induced wave breaking, wave-current interactions

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