Prof. W. Kendall Melville, kmelville@ucsd.edu

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Tel.: 619/534-0478

University of California, San Diego, Fax : 619/534-7132

La Jolla, CA 92093-0213.

Turbulence at the ocean surface is important for the fluxes of heat, mass

(gas) and momentum between the atmosphere and the ocean. Small-scale

turbulence may have implications for global scale processes, and so an

improved understanding of these stratified, intermittent, two-phase (free)

surface flows is of vital importance in oceanography and the atmospheric

sciences. While the micro-computer revolution and Moore's Law have permitted

the development of smart field instruments that can measure, process and

transmit data back via wireless communication links, the difficulties of

working at an interface that may be undergoing vertical excursions of up to

15-20m can sometimes be overwhelming. Therefore, it is also important to

develop an understanding based on laboratory experiments. In this seminar an

overview of current laboratory and field work on ocean surface turbulence

will be presented. Experimental results using optical, acoustical , infrared

and other techniques to study the stability of surface flows, surface wave

breaking and Langmuir circulations will be presented.
 
 

MELVILLE, W. Kendall Professor of Oceanography (MPL/PORD), B.Sc., B.E., M. Eng. Sc., U. of Sydney, Australia, Ph.D. U. of Southampton,

England
 
 

Research Interests:

1. Nonlinear surface and internal waves, 2. Air-sea interaction, 3. Surface wave breaking, 4. Acoustic and microwave remote sensing.

Courses:

Introduction to Fluid Mechanics SIO 214A

Ocean Waves SIO 211A, B

Surface Wave Phenomena SIO 219

Selected Publications:

1996. Hydraulic jumps at boundaries in rotating fluids. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 324:55-82.

1996. The role of surface wave breaking on air-sea interaction. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 28:279-311.

1995. Correlations between ambient noise and the ocean surface wavefield. Journal of Physical Oceanography 25: 513-532.

1994. Energy dissipation by breaking waves. Journal of Physical Oceanography 24:2041-2049.