In 2013, a large upper-ocean thermal anomaly formed in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) warmer than 4 degrees Celsius above the climatological norm. This warm anomaly persisted for the next three years and has been linked to downstream effects on North American climate and negative...
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze an abrupt case of climate change in the past as a means to understand the mechanisms that force climate change. By looking to past analogs of climate change, we hopefully will gain an understanding of these events, which could be used to...
Recent studies have found that equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) variability may be influencing tropical Indian Ocean climate (Kucharski 2009, Wang 2009). Due to the economic and social impact of tropical cyclones, it is important to investigate how an Atlantic-Indian Ocean connection may be affecting tropical cyclone behavior in...
Spectral analysis was used to investigate semidaily mean sea
levels and atmospheric pressures at San Francisco, California,
Coos Bay, Oregon, and Tofino, British Columbia, in the frequency
band 0 to 0.5 cpd. Cross spectral analysis of semidaily mean sea
levels and atmospheric pressures at the three stations show that the...
Measurements of the fluctuations of humidity, temperature
and velocity were made in the marine boundary layer. The humidity
fluctuations were measured with a Lyman-alpha humidiometer.
Temperature fluctuations were measured with a dry thermocouple
and a platinum resistance thermometer. Velocity fluctuations were
measured with a three component sonic anemometer. These measurements...
The perturbation of a stably-stratified flow by irregular
terrain is studied utilizing a seven-layer, hydrostatic, and
potential enstrophy and energy conserving primitive equation
model. The Island of Oahu, Hawaii, and the surrounding ocean area
of 130 km x 100 km is chosen as the model topography. The domain is
covered...
The results of measurements of the fluxes of momentum, moisture and sensible heat in the marine boundary layer are described.
Two techniques for obtaining the fluxes are discussed. The fluxes
of these quantities are most directly obtained by the eddy correlation
method, that is, by measuring the fluctuating vertical and...
Under light wind conditions, the alternation of daytime
heating and nighttime cooling creates a characteristic
response in the oceanic boundary layer known as the diurnal
cycle. The Mellor/Yamada Level II turbulence closure model is
used to analyze this response pattern.
The diurnal cycle has three phases. During morning and
early...