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Heat fluxes over weak SST heterogeneity

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/q811kq543

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  • The spatial variability of turbulence and surface heat flux are examined for the case of small air-surface temperature difference and modest sea-surface temperature variability. As a result of nonlinearities in the bulk formula, the heterogeneity is predicted to shift the area-averaged heat flux toward more significant upward values compared to that computed from the usual bulk formula and the area-averaged air-surface temperature difference. This prediction is supported by a case study analysis of aircraft data collected over heterogeneity of the sea-surface temperature. Traditional approaches for computing the surface flux are found to be unreliable over surface heterogeneity where the scales of the transport vary horizontally. A method based on a multiresolution wavelet transform reveals the spatial variability of the flux for different scales. This information together with several additional scale-dependent indices are used to select the range of scales included in the flux computation. This approach provides more reliable estimates of the spatial variation of the flux, although uncertainties remain. Required improvements in observation strategies are discussed for quantitative evaluation of the bulk formula in conditions of surface heterogeneity.
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  • Mahrt, L., and D. Khelif (2010), Heat fluxes over weak SST heterogeneity, Journal of Geophysical Research, 115, D11103, doi:10.1029/2009JD013161.
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  • 115
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  • D11
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  • This work was supported by grant N000140810409 to L. Mahrt and grant N000140810438 toD. Khelif, both from the Marine Meteorology Program of the Office of Naval Research.
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