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Applied Mathematics Colloquium

Friday, October 28,  2005, 11:30 am
Cullimore Lecture Hall II
New Jersey Institute of Technology

First Step Toward Detecting Giant Solitary Waves

Wooyoung Choi

Department of Mathematical Sciences

NJIT

Newark, New Jersey

Abstract

Large amplitude oceanic internal waves are accompanied by changes in surface roughness due to the interaction of surface waves with the currents induced at the ocean surface by the internal wave motions. These surface roughness changes can be observed remotely (from airplanes or satellites) by means of microwave imaging systems which can produce high spatial resolution maps of the surface from large distances. In principle, these backscatter maps can be used not only to detect the presence of internal waves, but also to infer the surface currents and hence the internal wave amplitudes. However, this task requires a more precise knowledge of the relationships between the internal wave currents and surface roughness than what presently exists. In this talk, after introducing an asymptotic model for large amplitude internal waves and reviewing their characteristics, I will describe how to model the evolution of short surface waves interacting with the internal wave surface currents with preliminary numerical results.