Estimating turbulent mixing by ocean eddies using superresolved satellite observations

Abstract: 

Mixing by ocean eddies on scales of 10-50 km plays a key role in biogeochemical processes, frontal dynamics, and tracer transport in the upper ocean. However, our understanding of these scales is limited because of the resolution of available observations. In this talk, I will describe a suite of stochastic filtering strategies for estimating mixing by ocean eddies from “superresolved” satellite observations obtained by combining low-resolution observations with a stochastic parameterization for the unresolved scales. A novel feature of the methods is the use of computationally inexpensive stochastic models to forecast the unresolved scales. The method enhances the effective resolution of satellite observations by exploiting the effect of spatial aliasing and generates an optimal estimate of small scales using Bayesian inference. I will provide a brief review of ocean dynamics, stochastic turbulence modelling and Bayesian statistics, so this talk will be suitable for all backgrounds.