Aircraft Observations of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer in the Vicinity of the Marginal Ice Zone Under Conditions of Flow Parallel to the Ice Edge

Abstract

This paper describes aircraft observations made with the NOAA P-3 research aircraft on 24 March 1989. The measurement region was over the marginal ice zone, southeast of Spitzbergen, between 74 to 76 degs N and 19 to 27 degs E. Above the atmospheric boundary layer, the geostrophic wind was 12 m/s at approximately 15 deg off-ice. A well mixed layer extended along the entire 200 km flight path which was perpendicular to and centered over the ice edge. There was a stratocumulus layer over the ocean which decreased in thickness towards the ice. The associated inversion, which coincided with the cloud layer top, continued to decrease in height over the ice. This caused a strong thermal wind effect within the atmospheric boundary layer. The near-surface geostrophic wind decreased from approximately 12 m/s over the ocean to 5 m/s over the ice due to the horizontal temperature gradient and sloping inversion.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA241072

Entities

People

  • Teresa M. Gobel

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundary Layer
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Detectors
  • Geostrophic Wind
  • Heat Energy
  • Inertial Navigation
  • Inertial Navigation Systems
  • Layers
  • Least Squares Method
  • Marginal Ice Zones
  • Measurement
  • Meteorology
  • Oceans
  • Regions
  • Surface Temperature
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Wind

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers
  • Polar and Arctic Studies

Technology Areas

  • Space