Surface Stress Estimation for Study of the Circulation Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico.
Abstract
This report presents the results of a literature search concerning estimation of wind stress over large bodies of water and an evaluation of several sets of stress estimates for the Gulf of Mexico. Wind stress can be estimated directly from wind observations or indirectly from atmospheric pressure by using the pressure gradients and the geostrophic relation. In regions where wind data are sparse, as in the Gulf of Mexico, the use of the indirect method is more practical. The major problems considered in stress estimation are: treatment of the drag coefficient that relates wind to stress, spatial and temporal averaging of the data before and after making stress estimates, and empirical corrections to be applied to winds computed from pressure gradients.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA114349
Entities
People
- J. Dana Thompson
- J. V. Ramsdell