Stephanie Waterman: Filling in the Map: Understanding Arctic Ocean Mixing Rates...(Dec. 5, 2025)

Filling in the Map: Understanding Arctic Ocean Mixing Rates, Mechanisms, Space-Time Variability and Decadal-Scale Trends From Ocean Observations ~ The rates and mechanisms of ocean mixing are important controls on how the oceans function; yet, our understanding of mixing in the ocean is significantly limited by complex variability in mixing rates and processes, and by a scarcity of direct observations. In the Arctic Ocean, the challenges of understanding ocean mixing are significant: mixing measurements are especially sparse, and latitude, ice, and stratification make the ocean mixing environment unique. In this talk, I’ll discuss our group’s work that uses a variety of ocean observations and observational methods to better understand Arctic Ocean mixing rates, mechanisms, space-time variability, and decadal-scale trends. Specifically, I will consolidate results from different studies to provide statistical characterizations of Arctic Ocean mixing rate and mixing flux distributions in time and space over a range of scales, as well as insights into the mechanisms driving and/or modulating the observed variability. I’ll argue that mixing in the Arctic Ocean spans multiple regimes with several important consequences: care is needed when inferring mixing rates using standard methods, the mixing of heat may be significantly enhanced above expectation, and the competition between stabilizing and destabilizing regimes may be an important control on stratification and ultimately mixing regime prevalence itself. For more information go here: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/even...