LONG TERM GOALS

The long term goals of this proposal are to advance the understanding of nonlinear processes in ocean dynamics and the development of new methods of investigation and prediction. Special attention is given to transport problems, and specifically to the use of Lagrangian data and to the development of effective subgrid scale parameterizations. OBJECTIVES The specific scientific objectives of the work done can be summarized as follows: 1) Study of transport in semi-enclosed basins, focusing on the impact of inhomogeneous flows, coastal boundary processes and exchanges with other basins. The problem is attacked both theoretically, using simplified circulation models, and through the analysis of Lagrangian data sets. 2) Prediction studies for particle motion at scales of few days to a month, with applications to search of objects lost at sea, floating mines, and ecological problems such as spreading of a pollutant or fish larvae. The study includes the development of optimized methods for the assimilation of Lagrangian data. APPROACH The work is based on a probabilistic approach. It involves a combination of analytical, numerical an