Research | Climate Systems Laboratory

WIFF1.0: a hybrid machine-learning-based parameterization of wave-induced sea ice floe fracture

by matthewmullin | April 13, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

Ocean surface waves play an important role in maintaining the marginal ice zone, a heterogenous region occupied by sea ice floes with variable horizontal sizes. The location, width, and evolution of the marginal ice zone are determined by the mutual interaction of...

Phytoplankton Blooms Under Antarctic Sea Ice

by matthewmullin | April 13, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

Areas covered in compact sea ice are often assumed to prohibit upper ocean photosynthesis. Yet under-ice phytoplankton blooms (UIBs) have increasingly been observed in the Arctic, driven by anthropogenic changes to the optical properties of Arctic sea ice. Here we...

Observing Waves in Sea Ice With ICESat-2

by matthewmullin | April 13, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

The coupled interaction of ocean surface waves and sea ice is important in determining the thermodynamic and dynamic properties of sea ice and its relationship to the ocean and atmosphere. Wave-ice interactions create the marginal ice zone (MIZ), a region critically...

When the holiday is over: being clever in New Zealand’s marine domain

by matthewmullin | March 30, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

We speculate on a marine future for New Zealand and how, as a society built upon a foundation of maritime endeavours, it could benefit from a re-engagement with the ocean domain. Specifically, we suggest that by embracing a rapidly, globally and radically evolving...

Power from the ocean: can we use bio-fouling organisms to help extract energy from waves?

by matthewmullin | March 30, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

Ocean waves are a massive source of energy, but it’s challenging to design power generators for the harsh environment. Allowing marine organisms to grow on engineered structures could help. Link.

Turbulent length scales in a fast-flowing, weakly stratified, strait: Cook Strait, New Zealand

by matthewmullin | March 30, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

There remains much to be learned about the full range of turbulent motions in the ocean. Here we consider turbulence and overturn scales in the relatively shallow, weakly stratified, fast-flowing tidal flows of Cook Strait, New Zealand. With flow speeds reaching...

Exploring Antarctica’s hidden under-ice rivers and their role in future sea-level rise

by matthewmullin | March 30, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

Researchers have surveyed an Antarctic under-ice river for the first time directly, and their observations support the idea that such sub-glacial rivers form estuaries as they flow into the ocean. Link.

The role of tides in bottom water export from the western Ross Sea

by matthewmullin | March 25, 2022 | Research | 0 Comments

Most of the ocean is very cold (average temperature is just 4C!) and most of that cold water comes from the shallow seas next to the Antarctic coast. In a recent paper (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81793-5) it is shown show that the very dense water is...

Citations

Bowen, M. M., Fernandez, D., Forcen-Vazquez, A., Gordon, A. L., Huber, B., Castagno, P., & Falco, P. (2021). The role of tides in bottom water export from the western Ross Sea. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81793-5

Horgan, H. J., & Stevens, C. (2022, February 10). Exploring Antarctica’s hidden under-ice rivers and their role in future sea-level rise. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/exploring-antarcticas-hidden-under-ice-rivers-and-their-role-in-future-sea-level-rise-176456

Horvat, C., Bisson, K. M., Seabrook, S., Cristi, A., & Matthes, L. (2022). Phytoplankton Blooms Under Antarctic Sea Ice. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10506404.3

Horvat, C., Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth, E., & Petty, A. (2020). Observing Waves in Sea Ice With ICESat‐2. Geophysical Research Letters, 47(10). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl087629

Horvat, C., & Roach, L. A. (2022). WIFF1.0: a hybrid machine-learning-based parameterization of wave-induced sea ice floe fracture. Geoscientific Model Development, 15(2), 803–814. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-803-2022

Stevens, C., Kregting, L., & Sorokin, V. (2021, June 6). Power from the ocean: can we use bio-fouling organisms to help extract energy from waves? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/power-from-the-ocean-can-we-use-bio-fouling-organisms-to-help-extract-energy-from-waves-160169

Stevens, C. L. (2018). Turbulent length scales in a fast-flowing, weakly stratified, strait: Cook Strait, New Zealand. Ocean Science, 14(4), 801–812. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-801-2018

Stevens, C., & O’Callaghan, J. (2015). When the holiday is over: being clever in New Zealand’s marine domain. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 45(2), 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2015.1014377