Some Energy Relations Between the Sea Surface and the Atmosphere

Abstract

Interrelations between processes of radiation, convection, and evaporation near the sea surface are determined quantitatively, for the North P acific Ocean. The object was to investigate these processes of heat changes as a whole rather than to consider any one of them in detail. In particul ar, revised values of a coeffi cient giving the time rate of temperature change were determined for use in a method of calculating surface currents from temperature. Observations of a twenty-year series of North P acific Ocean surface t emperatures in an eastern area extending from latitude 20° to 50° were selected so as to be least influenced by ocean currents. Monthly averages for 5° quadrangles prepared and published by the Imperial Japanese Observatory at Kobe were used as a basis for calculatin g these normal temperatures corresponding to half degree latitude intervals. Values of the average daily solar radiation reaching the sea surface, during each month, prepared and pub1ished by H. H. Kimball of the U.S. Weather Bureau and measurements of the amount of solar radiation at variou depths provided the additional observational material used. Equating the time rate of change of the amount of heat in an elementary volume of water to that furnished by the absorption of penetrating solar radiation less the rate of loss led to a simple differential equation whose solution expressed the theoretical sea temperature in t erms of time, latitude and depth for depths less than 35 meters. The amount of solar radiation at each of a series of depths was assumed to be reduced in a constant ratio for each of the equ al depth intervals, and the rate of loss of heat was ass umed to vary in proportion to the temperature. These theoretical temperatures agreed closely with the observed ones. The coefficient in the expression for the rate of loss of heat was calcul ated first from its relation to the lag (one to three months) between maximum t emperatures a nd m aximum radiation, and minimum temperatures and

The effect of upwelling on solar irradiance near the coast of southern California

“…Diego region have been reported by Kamykowski [1972] for 1971 and by McEwen [1938] fo.r the period 1928-1937. Clearly, measurements for the single year that falls within the period of our investigation (1971) are not sufficient to ascertain the longterm relationship between upwelling and solar irradiance.…”

Researches on the Variations of Oceanographic Conditions in the Region of the Ocean Weather Station “ Extra ” in the North Pacific Ocean (III)

“…MCEWEN [17], in his study on some energy relations between the sea surface and the atmosphere, used an average value of 0.2 for R. SVERDRUP [19], discussing the annual variation of evaporation from sea surface, assumed that Q. is a small fraction of Q, and neglected Q, in his computations. According to the estimations for the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans by JAcoBs [10] [11], the mean annual value of R is generally greater in higher latitudes and that of Q. is at a maximum in the vicinity of latitude 40°N.…”

On Sea-Level Change in Coastal Areas

“…None was found to be completely satisfactory. McEwen [15] envisioned a complex mechanism with evaporation in the summer and precipitation in winter affecting the global sea-level. Further study showed that these annual variations were in fact in the phase in all observation stations, and the idea had to be dropped.…”