Interview with Robin Rolland - Doctoral student in physical oceanography focusing on internal wave-mesoscale interactions and their impact on the energy cascade
Robin Rolland did his SVT degree and his Masters in Marine Sciences at Aix-Marseille University. He is currently a doctoral student at Sorbonne University working with LOCEAN.
AdAC SWOT : What is your area of research and how did you choose it?
Robin Rolland I'm interested in internal wave-mesoscale interactions and their impact on the energy cascade. In other words, how these interactions modulate energy transfers between currents of different spatial scales. I'm studying this around the Sicilian Channel, which has many topographical and bathymetric constraints. It is also one of the few areas in the Mediterranean where there are significant tides.
I will also be looking at this issue in the Algerian basin, where I will be taking part in the BioSWOT-Med campaign to measure turbulence on (deci)metric scales.
This subject was suggested to me by my Master 2 supervisor Francesco d'Ovidio, coordinator of the SWOT AdAC consortium, as well as Pascale Bouruet-Aubertot and Yannis Cuypers, both specialists in internal waves. The internship went well and the subject interested me because it dealt with fine scales, although I knew very little about internal waves at the time. So I chose to defend this subject to the doctoral school. I was able to discover a whole fascinating area of physical oceanography.
AdAC SWOT What is the link between your area of research and SWOT?
Robin Rolland SWOT will make it possible to observe ocean currents on a spatial scale of the order of a few tens of kilometres or even just a few kilometres. At these scales, the signal from internal waves (tidal waves in particular) is significant and mixes with that from the balanced (geostrophic) dynamics of the ocean, which can already be observed by satellite today.
The internal wave-mesoscale interactions that I am interested in occur at the scales that SWOT will be able to observe. We hope to be able to take advantage of this data and that from the BioSWOT-Med campaign to learn more about these interactions, and to compare model data with satellite and in situ observations.
More generally, current knowledge of currents on the scales that SWOT will observe comes mainly from models, but there are few observations to validate this knowledge. SWOT will go some way to filling this gap. For the energy exchange issues I'm interested in, these observations will be extremely useful!
AdAC SWOT What excites you about SWOT and the BioSWOT-Med campaign? How are you going to contribute to the campaign?
Robin Rolland Firstly, it's the breakthrough that SWOT will enable in the observation of ocean surface currents and the technological prowess that will make it possible. Secondly, the number of projects and research topics that SWOT has stimulated years before its launch. There is a real effervescence in the community, which is very stimulating as a young researcher.
As far as the campaign is concerned, this is a unique opportunity to cross-reference campaign data with satellite data at high spatial and temporal resolution (1 to 2 satellite passes per day). The SWOT data will be invaluable for interpreting the data collected in situ, to give a broader overview of the surface dynamics of the area sampled. More generally, a campaign is always a unique experience!
During the BioSWOT-Med campaign, I will be in charge of turbulence measurements at (deci)metric scales using a Vertical Microstructure Profiler. Analysis of the campaign data and SWOT data will form an integral part of my thesis.
AdAC SWOT What are your plans after the campaign?
Robin Rolland : Firstly, the analysis of the campaign data. I also have other projects on the go, in particular Lagrangian analyses in the Sicilian Channel. I'm currently finalising my first paper, which I hope to submit before the start of the campaign.
I don't know yet what I'm going to do after my thesis. For the moment, I'd like to continue in research but I'm not closing any doors.
BioSWOT-Med blog
