Research
The scales of turbulent mixing can be very small (on the order of centimeters), yet
this turbulence can have global-scale implications for ocean physics ranging from the movement of
water in the abyss to
the exchange of heat between the ocean and air. My research projects are all motivated by
the desire to understand when, where, and how these small scale mixing processes have an impact on
larger scale physics and climate. To do this I observe these oceanic processes in a variety of
physical contexts and over a range of scales. I also collaborate with modelers to glean additional
insights into implications of oceanic mixing than can be accomplished using only observations.
This work could not be possible without hundreds of scientists contributing to the global
datasets I use and the help of many collaborators, only a small
fraction of whom are listed below.
Zhang, H. J., C. B. Whalen, N. Kumar, and S. G. Purkey, 2021.
Decreased Stratification in the Abyssal Southwest Pacific Basin and Implications for the Energy Budget
Geophys. Res. Lett., 2018. (paper)
Whalen, C.B., J. A. MacKinnon, and L. D. Talley,
Large-Scale Impacts of the Mesoscale Environment on Mixing from Wind-Driven Internal Waves,
Nature Geo., 2018. (paper)
Whalen, C.B., J. A. MacKinnon, L. D. Talley, and A. F. Waterhouse,
Estimating the Mean Diapycnal Mixing Using a Finescale Strain Parameterization,
J. Phys. Oceanogr., 2015. (paper)
Whalen, C.B., L. D. Talley, and J. A. MacKinnon,
Spatial and temporal variability of global ocean mixing inferred from Argo profiles,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 2012. (paper)
Whalen, C.B.,
Best Practices for Comparing Ocean Turbulence Measurements Across Spatiotemporal Scales,
J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 2021. (paper)
Whalen, C.B., J. A. MacKinnon, L. D. Talley, and A. F. Waterhouse,
Estimating the Mean Diapycnal Mixing Using a Finescale Strain Parameterization,
J. Phys. Oceanogr., 2015. (paper)