Air-sea fluxes: 25 years of progress

Smith, Stuart D.; Fairall, C. W.; Geernaert, G.L.; Hasse, Lutz

doi:10.1007/bf00120938

Cited by 80 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 168 publications

(163 reference statements)

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“…The basic structure of the Fairall et al [1996] algorithm follows the well‐known Liu‐Katsaros‐Businger scheme and includes a different specification to the stress/roughness relationship. This approach considers the roughness due to the gravity waves and molecular viscosity [ Smith et al , 1996]. The humidity, temperature, and momentum profiles as a function of the stability under very unstable conditions are modified to adjust to the Panofsky and Dutton [1984] free convection scheme.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiyear measurements of the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers at the Brazil‐Malvinas confluence region

et al. 2009

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[1] This study analyzes and discusses data taken from oceanic and atmospheric measurements performed simultaneously at the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC) region in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. This area is one of the most dynamical frontal regions of the world ocean. Data were collected during four research cruises in the region once a year in consecutive years between 2004 and 2007. Very few studies have addressed the importance of studying the air-sea coupling at the BMC region. Lateral temperature gradients at the study region were as high as 0.3°C km À1 at the surface and subsurface. In the oceanic boundary layer, the vertical temperature gradient reached 0.08°C m À1 at 500 m depth. Our results show that the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) at the BMC region is modulated by the strong sea surface temperature (SST) gradients present at the sea surface. The mean MABL structure is thicker over the warmside of the BMC where Brazil Current (BC) waters predominate. The opposite occurs over the coldside of the confluence where waters from the Malvinas (Falkland) Current (MC) are found. The warmside of the confluence presented systematically higher MABL top height compared to the coldside. This type of modulation at the synoptic scale is consistent to what happens in other frontal regions of the world ocean, where the MABL adjusts itself to modifications along the SST gradients. Over warm waters at the BMC region, the MABL static instability and turbulence were increased while winds at the lower portion of the MABL were strong. Over the coldside of the BC/MC front an opposite behavior is found: the MABL is thinner and more stable. Our results suggest that the sea-level pressure (SLP) was also modulated locally, together with static stability vertical mixing mechanism, by the surface condition during all cruises. SST gradients at the BMC region modulate the synoptic atmospheric pressure gradient. Postfrontal and prefrontal conditions produce opposite thermal advections in the MABL that lead to different pressure intensification patterns across the confluence.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiyear measurements of the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers at the Brazil‐Malvinas confluence region

et al. 2009

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“…Smith et al . [] discussed the progress made in air‐sea interaction studies and stated that they expect future data sets to be collected in coastal regions where depth and fetch influence the waves and the fluxes, to cover events which contain large gradients and to validate modeling and understanding of extreme events. Since then, an area which has remained largely unexplored is the wind stress over coastal water, and in particular the surf zone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct measurements of wind stress over the surf zone

Shabani

Nielsen

Baldock

2014

J. Geophys. Res. Oceans

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Field data of the wind stress over surf zone waves are presented from an open ocean beach on the East Australian Coast. Two ultrasonic anemometers were deployed at nominal heights of 5 and 10 m above the water surface in the intertidal and inner surf zones, with concurrent measurements of water levels and offshore wave parameters. Following a rigorous quality control procedure, the wind stress was determined by the eddy correlation technique. A constant stress layer was observed between 5 and 10 m elevation. Considering nearneutral conditions only, the wind drag coefficients were found to systematically change with the wind angle of approach relative to the shoreline and are much smaller for longshore wind than during onshore wind. The concept of an apparent wave steepness changing with wind direction is suggested to explain this behavior. The drag coefficients over the surf zone during onshore wind and near-neutral conditions were determined to be almost twice the values expected at the same wind speed and open ocean conditions. The observed Charnock coefficient was similarly an order of magnitude larger than open ocean values. A wave celerity of the order of that expected in the inner surf zone is required to explain the observed large roughness and drag coefficients using existing wave age-dependent parameterizations. This suggests that the slower wave celerity in the surf zone is an important contributor to the increased wind stress, in addition to the sawtooth wave shape.

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“…It is only recently that direct measurements of gas fluxes have become feasible at sea. Meteorological techniques are routinely used for the measurement of the fluxes of momentum and heat [ Smith et al , 1996], and the eddy correlation (EC) technique has been shown to be appropriate for the direct determination of the transfer velocity of CO 2 [ Jacobs et al , 1999; McGillis et al , 2001; Wanninkhof and McGillis , 1999]. However, the applicability of these techniques is limited, because CO 2 fluxes are often below the limit of detection and special conditions that assure high fluxes have to be selected for reliable gas flux measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relaxed eddy accumulation measurements of the sea‐to‐air transfer of dimethylsulfide over the northeastern Pacific

et al. 2004

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[1] Gas transfer rates were determined from relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) measurements of the flux of dimethylsulfide (DMS) over the northeastern Pacific Ocean. This first application of the REA technique for the measurement of DMS fluxes over the open ocean produced estimates of the gas transfer rate that are on average higher than those calculated from commonly used parameterizations. The relationship between the total gas transfer rate and wind speed was found to be gas k gas = 0.53 (±0.05) U 10 2 . Because of the effect of the airside resistance, the waterside transfer rate was up to 16% higher than k gas . Removal of the airside transfer component from the total transfer rate resulted in a relation between wind speed and waterside transfer of k 660 = 0.61 (±0.06) U 10 2 . However, DMS fluxes showed a high degree of scatter that could not readily be accounted for by wind speed and atmospheric stability. It has to be concluded that these measurements do not permit an accurate parameterization of gas transfer as a function of wind speed.

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Air-sea fluxes: 25 years of progress

Cited by 80 publications

References 168 publications

Multiyear measurements of the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers at the Brazil‐Malvinas confluence region

Multiyear measurements of the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers at the Brazil‐Malvinas confluence region

Direct measurements of wind stress over the surf zone

Relaxed eddy accumulation measurements of the sea‐to‐air transfer of dimethylsulfide over the northeastern Pacific

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