The sea-surface microlayer that separates the sky and sea is tiny — only one millimeter at its thickest — yet it plays a major role in weather prediction and the relationship between the air and ocean.
While the sea-surface layer has been known about for decades, the dynamics and greater implications of it are largely unknown. To remedy this, Dr. Aarthi Sekaran and Dr. Noushin Amini are taking a deeper look into the flow instabilities of this sea-surface microlayer.
Sekaran explained that, with the increasing incidence of extreme weather conditions, it becomes more essential to understand the sea-surface microlayer. Focusing on the heat and mass transfer, the researchers are exploring fundamental processes of the microlayer and how it impacts weather prediction and other systems.
“My research aims at using state-of-the-art computer simulations to unearth the role of flow instabilities, coherent structure dynamics and other related processes on the development of the sea-surface microlayer,” said Sekaran.
Hydrodynamic instabilities — the study of fluids in motion and how their flow can be disrupted – look at how such instabilities cause large-scale dynamic changes in systems (such as weather patterns). Applying this to ocean engineering, Sekaran discovered that distinct flow patterns and instabilities could be simulated in the sea-surface microlayer, opening a door for fundamental processes to be discovered.
“The science that is hidden in this microlayer is both fascinating and challenging since we see large variations of properties like temperature, salinity and organic matter composition,” said Sekaran. “Essentially, a lot happening over a small thickness, which is an exciting fluid dynamical setup.”