Inclusion of non-stationarity of the wind and wave fields in the bulk formula for surface fluxes: A new direction
Abstract
Funds are provided to conduct research to examine the impacts of stability, wave state and non-stationarity of the wind field on sea surface fluxes, particularly the momentum flux (stress). Previously neglected non-stationarity of the wind field disrupts the surface stress directly and also influences the stress indirectly through modification of the wave field. Based on limited information in the literature and initial investigations, non-stationarity of the wind field causes important deviations of the surface stress from the usual predictions. The proposed analyses will examine a variety of time structures ranging from sharp changes of wind (fronts) to common smoother variations. After including the potentially important flux loss due to variation of the momentum flux between the sea surface and the observational level, the bulk formula forpredicting surface fluxes will be reconsidered using two modified forulations in addition to the original bulk formula. The analyses requires a long data set so the PI is currently reprocessing a newly obtained long data set with almost two decades of wave state measurements and fluxes at multiple levels on a tower in the Baltic Sea to supplement his existing data sets.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 13, 2019
- Source ID
- N000141912469
Entities
People
- L. Mahrt
Organizations
- Northwest Research Associates
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy