Gibson/Bodur/Keeler/Leung Remote Sensing of Submerged Oceanic Turbulence and Fossil Turbulence 1/21/06 1 Remote Sensing of Submerged Oceanic Turbulence and Fossil Turbulence

Microstructure and internal-wave measurements from vertical and horizontal profilers near a Honolulu municipal wastewater outfall are compared to sea-surface brightness anomalies from optical and synthetic-aperture-radar space satellite images. Optical anomalies with unexpected quasimonochromatic wavelengths ! " were detected September 2, 2002. Anomaly areas covered ! 70 km in SW and SE lobes extending 10 km and 5 km from the diffuser. Studies in 2003 and 2004 increased the range of optical detection to ! 20 km in areas covering ! 200 km. Radar anomalies covered 800 km and extended 45 km. The remote detection mechanism indicated by these remarkable observations involves wave-turbulent interactions between advected outfall fossil turbulence patches and ! " = 30-220 m internal-soliton-wave-like (ISW) packets. We speculate these small ISWs originate as near-vertically propagating fossil turbulence waves (FTWs) from intermittent bottom turbulence events. FTWs mix the water column, create ISWs and supply secondary turbulent-kinetic-energy by tilting fossil turbulence patches. Thus, energy, mixing, and information are transmitted near-vertically by both primary and secondary fossil turbulence patches in ISW patterns of surface smoothing, as detected from space. Nonlinear vertical-amplification and vertically-beamed internal wave processes are similar to those of astrophysical masers but more efficient. Off shore advection of the outfall fossil turbulence patches required to produce the anomaly lobes varies widely and unpredictably, and depends on fresh water run off from the island.