The role of diurnal air-sea interaction in Arabian Sea Mini Warm Pool dynamics: an LES study
Abstract
Turbulence # its observation, simulation, parametrization and coupling with larger scales # is an important pacing item for high-fidelity predictions of air-sea exchange in general and, specifically, for the Arabian Mini Warm Pool buildup and dissipation. We propose large eddy simulation (LES) of the coupled system, the ocean surface boundary layer and the marine atmospheric boundary layer, in order to identify turbulence flow physics whose misrepresentation would lead to biases in coupled models. Several science questions will be addressed: the role of laterally advected fresh/saline water in maintaining or dissipating the ASMWP, the robustness of the diurnal warm layer (DWL) to wind variability at multiple scales and the rectified effect of the DWL, the role of subsurface thermal inversions, and the influence of synoptic changes in the atmosphere on the coupled system. The simulations will be conducted at high resolution of the energetic scales of motion, with an adaptive subgrid model for the smallest turbulence scales, with modern fluxtreatment at the air-sea interface, with Langmuir circulation on the ocean side, and with representation of the moisture budget andits role in heat transport on the air side. As in previous ONR DRIs, we anticipate collaborative efforts with other PIs to help interpret observations, run LES with conditions steered by observations and large-scale GCMs, help improve turbulence parameterization in the deployed large-scale models and answer science questions as they manifest during the DRI.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 15, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312481
Entities
People
- Sutanu Sarkar
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego