Project Grant 2045270

Northwest Research Associates, Inc., dba Nwra, was awarded a $700,510 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences on March 1, 2021, with a completion date of February 28, 2025. The award is part of the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), which supports basic research in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences to strengthen and enhance the national scientific enterprise through the expansion of fundamental knowledge and increased understanding of the integrated Earth system.

Under this award, Nwra will conduct collaborative research to model internal waves from inception to dissipation. Internal waves play an important role in ocean mixing and energy transport but are not fully understood due to challenges in observing their generation, propagation, and dissipation over varying spatial and temporal scales. This research aims to advance knowledge of internal wave dynamics from their origin at continental slopes and ridges to their dissipation through breaking and mixing using state-of-the-art numerical models validated with observational data. Insights gained from this work could enhance understanding and prediction of ocean circulation and climate processes.