This National Science Foundation project grant award of $523,335 supports research into quantifying the energy cascade of internal gravity waves with varying spectral slopes through February 2026. The award was made under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), which aims to expand fundamental knowledge of the integrated Earth system through basic research in atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences.
Specifically, the University of Michigan will conduct theoretical and computational modeling work, along with data analysis, to improve understanding of how energy from large-scale internal ocean waves dissipates into smaller-scale turbulence. Key activities include refining wave turbulence theory to account for varying wave spectral slopes, enhancing regional ocean model simulations to better match observed wave spectra, and applying new fine-scale parameterizations in global models to map turbulent dissipation rates globally. Broader impacts include advancing climate and regional ocean models through improved diapycnal mixing representations. This research seeks to establish a comprehensive view of downscale energy cascades from internal gravity waves with variable spectra.
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