THEME 5: Air-Sea Interactions and Exchanges

• Understand and Describe the energy, moisture, and chemical exchanges between the atmosphere and the oceans and the consequent effects on the atmosphere and ocean structure, mixing and circulations.

Current Research

• Study of Air-Sea Transfer Velocities Utilizing Gaseous Tracers

– Project Personnel: Kevin Sullivan (UM/RMSAS); Mark Powell; Rik Wanninkhof (NOAA/AOML)

– Goals: Quantify the rates of air-sea CO2 transfer in the Southern Ocean

• Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Fluxes and Surface Physical Processes

– Project Personnel: Mark Donelan and Will Drennan (UM/RSMAS)– Goals: To improve our understanding of how various physical processes control CO2

transfer at the ocean surface.

• Variability of Boundary Layer Structures and Cloud Properties over the Eastern Pacific

– Project Personnel: Bruce A. Albrecht (UM/RSMAS); Patrick Minnis (NASA Langley)– Goals: Define and explain the variability in the characteristics of boundary layer

clouds in the southeast trades across the Cold Tongue ITCZ Complex (CTIC).

• Real-time Hurricane Wind Analysis Project (H*WIND, JHT)– Project Personnel: Nicholas Carrasco, Nirva Morisseau-Leroy, Jason Dunion, and

Sonia Otero (UM/RSMAS); Mark Powell (NOAA/AOML)– Goals: Software development & deployment of a real-time wind analysis application

for tropical cyclones

• Hurricane Heat Content Estimates For Intensity Forecasting Using SHIPS In Support of JHT

– Project Personnel: L. Shay, M. Mainelli (TPC), M. DeMaria(NOAA-NESDIS/CIRA)– Goal: Implement hurricane heat content estimates from satellite and in situ

measurements with seasonal climatologies into the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction System to improve intensity forecasts in the Atlantic Ocean Basin.

• A Study of Factors Controlling the Structure and Distribution of Precipitation in Hurricane

– Project Personnel: Robert Rogers (UM/RSMAS); Shuyi Chen; Hugh Willoughby (NOAA/AOML)

– Goals: Improved understanding of the effects of storm motion and vertical shear on the distribution of accumulated rainfall in tropical cyclones

Current Research

Gradient Flux Technique

MeasuredGradient (3-13m)

McGillis et al. (2001)

z

c

CO2 – w covariance from the bow of the Brown

Gas Ex-2001

Southern Ocean Dual Deliberate Tracer Study:First estimate of gas exchange in the southern OceanCommonly used parameterization model the decrease in 3He/SF6 well Considering the error bars no definitive relationship can be proposed from this study. The relationship developed for the North Atlantic Study, Gas Ex -98 is consistent with the results: k = 0.0283 u3 (Sc/660) -0.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

26 28 30 32 34 36

R observed

Rmodeled

0.31U2

Rmodeled

0.34U2

Rmodeled

0.0283U3

Rmodeled

0.0277U3

R =

ln(3 H

e/S

F 6)

Year Day

GasEx-2001

Best fit N.Atlantic& Southern Ocean

SST (left panels) and OHC (right panels) derived from radar altimeters for Pre-Lili (upper) and Post-Lili (lower)Relative to Storm Intensity.NOAA JHT Project

Tropical Cyclones and Ocean Heat Content

P S-OHC C-OHC SS T12 6.2 4.5 5.324 8.4 6.6 6.536 12.1 9.4 8.248 16.2 11.4 10.460 19.9 13.3 12.472 27.9 15.2 14.6

0

10

20

30

12 24 36 48 60 72Forecast Interval (hr)

Var

ian

ce E

xpla

ined

(%

)

PS-OHC

C-OHC

SST

Individual Correlation Results

(1997-2001 Sample)

H*WIND

Surface Wind:

• Land-based radar, surface data, GIS. Development of a real-time surface analysis system for use by forecasters, etc.

High Resolution Models of TC Rain

Cross-track shear Along-track shear

Rogers et al 2002

Hurricane Bonnie (1998)

Reflectivity Accumulated Rainfall

High-resolution Models of TC Rain

Rogers et al 2002

Right-left rain asymmetry when along-track shear, but not when shear is cross-track

Schematic relationship between environmental shear, storm motion, and total rainfall.

UM/RSMAS-NOAA/AOML Linkages

CIMAS enables close cooperation and interaction between UM/RSMAS and NOAA/ AOML air-sea interaction communities:

• National and International Projects (e.g., EPIC, CAMEX, CBLAST)

• Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS)

• NOPPs• Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEA-

COOS)• NOAA Hurricane Field Program• TPC/NHC• UM-RSMAS Academic Program

NOAA/NSF EPIC Warm Pool/ITCZ Regime:AXCP/AXCTD and GPS Sondes From P-3

Shay and Zhang

UM/RSMAS-NOAA/AOML Capabilities

• Human Resources– UM Faculty—Critical Mass in Air-Sea

Interaction– Collaborations among AOML and UM

Scientists– Adjunct UM Faculty from AOML and TPC/NHC– Students (Graduate and Undergraduates)– Research Associates

UM/RSMAS-NOAA/AOML Capabilities and Resources—Observational

• Satellite and Airborne Oceanography

• Airborne Data Sets (with NOAA WP-3D)

• Radars (0.9, 9, and 95 GHz)

• Shipborne (Walton Smith; Explorer of the Seas, Ron Brown)

• Wind-Wave Tank

• Buoys

SEA-COOS: HF Radar Test Bed

Future: WERA: FMCW system, 100km range, ~750 m resolution.

• Wellen Radar (red dots)• CODAR (gray area)• RCCL Explorer Ship

Tracks (solid blue)• NCORE ocean moorings

(black dots)

Current

M-AERI radiometric measurements of air

and sea temperatures.2001.

UM/RSMAS-NOAA/AOML Capabilities and Resources—Modeling

• Modeling– Atmospheric (MM5 -> WRF)– Ocean (MYCOM, HYCOM)– Waves/Spray– Coupled Models

Future Plans and VisionHurricane (FY-05 NOAA/OAR Long-term Initiative): • Air-Sea processes under high wind conditions• Representation of aerosol, moisture and microphysical

processes and impact on TC intensity and rain• Future aircraft and ship-based observation programs

(CAMEX-5, AMMA, HFP)

Lili (2002)Gilbert (1988)

Future Plans and Vision

• Climate Related Air-Sea Interaction:– ENSO– CTIC (Eastern Pacific), ITCZ (Atlantic)– Boundary Layer Clouds (VEPIC)– Western Hemisphere Warm Pool – Chemical Transports– Aerosols/Radiation and Climate