Abstract

Temperature and salinity fronts are important features in the open ocean and coastal and estuarine environments. These fronts can inhibit mixing of pollutants and other tracers while enhancing the vertical exchange between surface and interior waters. Fronts are also extremely energetic and dynamic environments, exhibiting a rich collection of fluid dynamical processes on scales ranging from kilometers to meters. I will discuss recent work using large-eddy simulations which indicates that fronts can significantly modify the intensity and spatial structure of three-dimensional turbulence. I will then discuss the impact that fronts and turbulence can have on biology and the distribution and transport of buoyant tracers near the ocean surface.