SummaryWind speeds were measured at heights up to 13 m over the sea by means of anemometers mounted on a mast attached to the jib-boom of a small vessel and another on the foremast cross-trees. The vertical temperature gradient and air/sea temperature differences were also observed. On some occasions wind and temperature structures were explored up to 80-100 m by kite balloon.A method of observation was devised whereby the effect of the ship's hull on the wind speeds was eliminated and from the corrected profiles surface drag coefficients were calculated. For neutral conditions and fetch of wind over the sea of 20-40 km it is found that the drag coefficient (for 10 m reference height) is about O· 0010 in light winds rising to about 0·0021 at wind speeds from 10 to 15 m/sec.The drag coefficient is probably rather sensitive to stability variations, increasing' particularly in the direction of instability, but the effects of variation in fetch of the wind over water are much less evident. In proximity to shallow water the drag coefficient increases appreciably.
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