Coastal zone surface stress with stable stratification
Mahrt, L., Andreas, E. L., Edson, J. B., Vickers, D., Sun, J., & Patton, E. (2016). Coastal zone surface stress with stable stratification. Journal Of Physical Oceanography, 46, 95-105. doi:10.1175/JPO-D-15-0116.1
Summertime eddy correlation measurements from an offshore tower are analyzed to investigate the dependence of the friction velocity υ∗ for stable conditions on the mean wind speed V, air-sea difference of virtual potential temperature δθυ, and nonstationary submeso motions. The quantity δθυ somet... Show moreSummertime eddy correlation measurements from an offshore tower are analyzed to investigate the dependence of the friction velocity υ∗ for stable conditions on the mean wind speed V, air-sea difference of virtual potential temperature δθυ, and nonstationary submeso motions. The quantity δθυ sometimes exceeds 3°C, usually because of the advection of warm air from land over cooler water at this site. Thin stable boundary layers result. Unexpectedly, υ∗(V) does not depend systematically on the stratification δθυ even for weak winds. For weak winds, υ∗(V) increases systematically with increasing submeso variations of the wind. The υ∗(V) relationship for a given V is greater in nonstationary conditions. Additionally, this study examines υ∗(V) as a function of wind direction. The υ∗(V) relationship appears to be affected by swell direction for weak winds and advection from land for short fetches. Show less