Research summary
Ocean mixing plays a pivotal role in climate variability and change—and a better understanding of the physics behind it could help address a key uncertainty in numerical climate modelling and prediction.
The distribution of ocean mixing is mostly determined by the dissipation of internal waves. Yet their energy pathways—from generation to dissipation—are not fully understood. Dr. Ruth Musgrave, Canada Research Chair in Physical Oceanography, is studying internal wave environments in the Pacific, Atlantic and Southern oceans to determine these energy pathways. She and her research team hope their results can be generalized to the global ocean in order to improve our ability to predict future climate states.