{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/159904"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/159904","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Modeling Mesoscale Eddies: the Effects of Resolution onOcean Turbulence","abstract":"We describe a non-adiabatic idealized model for studying mesoscale turbulence in the global ocean. Using the ocean model Oceananigans, we perform a grid refinement study to determine the minimal resolution required to represent mesoscale eddies in the primitive equations. Convergence is evaluated through several metrics, including surface and depth-integrated kinetic energy, spectra, and zonally-averaged temperature, in order to establish quantitative resolution thresholds for physical fidelity. We find that while coarse-resolution simulations capture large-scale flow features, key mesoscale dynamics—including vertical stratification gradients and kinetic energy spectra—only converge at resolutions finer than 1/4°. Differences between the 1/8° and 1/16° simulations are small, suggesting that 1/8° resolution may be sufficient for resolving the mesoscale eddy field for many diagnostic purposes in idealized setups.","abstract_html":"We describe a non-adiabatic idealized model for studying mesoscale turbulence in the global ocean. Using the ocean model Oceananigans, we perform a grid refinement study to determine the minimal resolution required to represent mesoscale eddies in the primitive equations. Convergence is evaluated through several metrics, including surface and depth-integrated kinetic energy, spectra, and zonally-averaged temperature, in order to establish quantitative resolution thresholds for physical fidelity. We find that while coarse-resolution simulations capture large-scale flow features, key mesoscale dynamics—including vertical stratification gradients and kinetic energy spectra—only converge at resolutions finer than 1/4°. Differences between the 1/8° and 1/16° simulations are small, suggesting that 1/8° resolution may be sufficient for resolving the mesoscale eddy field for many diagnostic purposes in idealized setups.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Brock, Lucy"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Bachelor","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Ferrari, Raffaele"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05","date_published":"2025-05","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:27Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159904","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Ferrari, Raffaele"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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Using the ocean model Oceananigans, we perform a grid refinement study to determine the minimal resolution required to represent mesoscale eddies in the primitive equations. Convergence is evaluated through several metrics, including surface and depth-integrated kinetic energy, spectra, and zonally-averaged temperature, in order to establish quantitative resolution thresholds for physical fidelity. We find that while coarse-resolution simulations capture large-scale flow features, key mesoscale dynamics—including vertical stratification gradients and kinetic energy spectra—only converge at resolutions finer than 1/4°. Differences between the 1/8° and 1/16° simulations are small, suggesting that 1/8° resolution may be sufficient for resolving the mesoscale eddy field for many diagnostic purposes in idealized setups."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.B."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Modeling Mesoscale Eddies: the Effects of Resolution onOcean Turbulence"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Ferrari, Raffaele"],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Brock, Lucy"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-07T17:37:58Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-07T17:37:58Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["We describe a non-adiabatic idealized model for studying mesoscale turbulence in the global ocean. Using the ocean model Oceananigans, we perform a grid refinement study to determine the minimal resolution required to represent mesoscale eddies in the primitive equations. Convergence is evaluated through several metrics, including surface and depth-integrated kinetic energy, spectra, and zonally-averaged temperature, in order to establish quantitative resolution thresholds for physical fidelity. We find that while coarse-resolution simulations capture large-scale flow features, key mesoscale dynamics—including vertical stratification gradients and kinetic energy spectra—only converge at resolutions finer than 1/4°. Differences between the 1/8° and 1/16° simulations are small, suggesting that 1/8° resolution may be sufficient for resolving the mesoscale eddy field for many diagnostic purposes in idealized setups."],"dc:description.degree":["S.B."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159904"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"],"dc:rights.uri":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Modeling Mesoscale Eddies: the Effects of Resolution onOcean Turbulence"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Bachelor","Bachelor of Science in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:27Z"}