November 19, 2020
OFFshore Hub members A/Prof Nicole Jones, Dr Matt Rayson and Prof Greg Ivey of the Metocean hazards from solitons project stream have been awarded funding to continue their ground breaking research activities under the ARC Discovery program grant scheme. Their successful project is entitled “Quantifying vertical and lateral ocean transport due to fronts and eddies: understanding the contribution of sub-mesoscale currents”.
This project aims to quantify the intensity and location of ocean currents at unprecedented fine spatial scales by using data from a new generation of high-resolution satellites. These fine scales dominate the lateral and vertical transport of ocean-borne material, including heat, larvae and pollutants like oil and plastics, yet are poorly understood. New algorithms for processing satellite data will be developed and tested using in situ data in the significant North West Shelf region. Expected outcomes will be novel methods to identify ocean currents and a paradigm shift in the quantification of fine-scale ocean dynamics.
This novel high-resolution ocean current information is directly applicable for use by search and rescue, offshore oil and gas operations, defence, ship routing, pollution response and ecosystem assessments in Australian waters. The research training provided in this project will also build Australian capacity in utilising remotely-sensed environmental data and more generally in the space technology sector.
The project will kick off in early 2021. Congratulations to Nicole, Matt, Greg and their collaborators Dr Shane Keating (University of New South Wales) and Dr Aurélien Ponte (Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer) for this fine achievement.
