Atmospheric Control of the Surface Energy Budget

Abstract

LONG-TERM PROJECT GOALS. This project seeks to describe how heterogeneous surface fluxes that control ice growth are coupled to the atmosphere through radiative and sensible heat processes. Our hypothesis is that spatial and temporal variations in different air masses account for much of the climate variability that occurs in the Arctic. OBJECTIVES. (1) We will combine AVHRR temperature estimates, surface temperature and radiation data from an array of drifting buoys, and vertical temperature and cloud data to estimate aggregate scale (100 km x 100 km) radiative and sensible heat fluxes for selected periods throughout the cold season (Tair < 0 deg, October through May) during SHEBA. (2) We will assemble and evaluate information necessary to estimate lateral heat advection over the SHEBA region from gridded atmospheric data fields from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). These gridded fields will be modified by data from the surface array and SHEBA core measurement program as necessary.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 1997
Accession Number
ADA633484

Entities

People

  • James E. Overland

Organizations

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Advection
  • Air Masses
  • Atmospheric Temperature
  • Beaufort Sea
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Heat Flux
  • High Resolution
  • Ice
  • Measurement
  • Radiation
  • Radiometers
  • Sea Ice
  • Surface Energy
  • Surface Temperature
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Weather Forecasting

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers