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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Alan Buis (818) 354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Frederick A. Johnsen (661) 276-2998
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.

NEWS RELEASE: 2003-054                   April 15, 2003  

NASA and Naval Research Lab to Study Coastal Eddies

NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory will take a closer look at the
swirling water phenomenon known as coastal eddies when they fly a
specially-instrumented NASA airborne sciences DC-8 jet off the
Southern California coast this month. 

Coastal eddies can be an important source of transporting nutrients
from deep to surface waters, where they stimulate ocean plant growth. 
They can also transport pollutants from land and recirculate them for
days, with both positive and negative consequences for marine life. 
Yet, while they are common in the global coastal seas, surprisingly
little is known about them, due to their small size and transient
nature, which have made it very difficult for ships to locate and
measure their properties. 

Scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,
and the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., will use the
JPL-designed and built Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar, or AirSar,
instrument to study an area known as the Southern California Bight,
between Point Conception and San Diego.  During daily flights, AirSar
will capture eddy image sequences in rapid succession, enabling
researchers to measure motions caused by the currents.

A key focus of the research will be spiral-shaped slicks, or glassy
water, on the ocean surface that may result from small eddies, which
are generally between 4.8 to 9.7 kilometers (3 to 6 miles) in
diameter.  Theories predict these spirals take several days to
evolve.

"We can study the currents as they wind-up the ocean slicks into
spiral patterns, and we can study the types of currents that either
create or do not create eddies," said Dr. George Marmorino, coastal
eddies lead scientist for the Naval Research Laboratory.

The DC-8, based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards,
Calif., is vital to this project because it can be precisely
positioned where needed over consecutive days. 
Once a clear ocean eddy is detected from the DC-8, its position will
be relayed to oceanographers on the Sea World UCLA, a research vessel
that can measure the deeper currents and density structure associated
with the eddy.  Additional satellite imagery will also help to
identify eddy locations.  Scientists hope the unique combination of
AirSar flights, ship measurements and satellite ocean sensors will
enable them to better understand the characteristics of these small
but important coastal features. 

Collaborators in the study include the University of California, Los
Angeles, departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and
Atmospheric Sciences; and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
University of California, San Diego.

Additional information about ocean coastal eddies can be found at:
http://airsea-www.jpl.nasa.gov/cos/california/ .

For more information about AirSar, see: http://airsar.jpl.nasa.gov
http://airsar.jpl.nasa.gov/ .

For more information about NASA's DC-8, see:
http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Research  .

The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for
NASA.

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