FluxSat: Measuring the Ocean–Atmosphere Turbulent Exchange of Heat and Moisture from Space

Gentemann, Chelle; Clayson, Carol Anne; Brown, Shannon; Lee, Tong; Parfitt, R. L.; Farrar, J. Thomas; Bourassa, Mark A.; Minnett, Peter J.; Seo, Hyodae; Gille, Sarah T.; Zlotnicki, Victor

doi:10.3390/rs12111796

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…The average values of wind magnitudes computed for the eddies' life span periods seen in Table 2 indicate that the (scatterrometer-measured) wind intensities were 0.6 to 0.7 m s −1 higher on top of ED1 than on top of ED2. This result is expected as a clear indication of local modulation of the near surface winds by the eddies SST signals throughout their life spans and had been already reported for the BMC and other frontal regions of the world's ocean [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Figure 5e presents the ERA5 wind magnitudes of ED1, ED2 and ZR.…”

Section: Satellite-derived Wind Magnitudes and Atmospheric Reanalysissupporting

confidence: 77%

“…A simple explanation for the positive correlation between SST and wind magnitude (the SST locally forcing the winds), when occurring, is this: when the wind blows over an increased SST, a situation typically found in the ocean's frontal regions where the mesoscale variability is dominant, there is an increase in the momentum mixing inside the MABL and upper level, stronger winds descend toward the ocean's surface, consequently increasing the near surface winds [5,9]. This is consistent to the static stability modulation hypothesis [13].…”

Section: Satellite-derived Wind Magnitudes and Atmospheric Reanalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although at the large scale in extra tropical latitudes we expect to have a negative correlation between sea surface temperature (SST) and both the air-sea heat fluxes and the wind magnitude, the opposite happens along frontal regions of the world's ocean and at the BMC [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Among the several reasons why the lower atmosphere may be locally forced by the surface action of the ocean's mesoscale, especially eddies, the humidity and air-sea temperature difference caused on the air above when the wind blows over oceanic fronts leads to a modification on the MABL stability and the air-sea heat fluxes [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of the local forcing of the lower atmosphere by ocean eddies is an interesting aspect to be considered when using numerical models to predict both the weather and the climate [9,16]. The lack of in situ observations, however, jeopardizes our knowledge on the subject [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Air-Sea Interactions over Eddies in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence

et al. 2021

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The Brazil–Malvinas Confluence (BMC) is one of the most dynamical regions of the global ocean. Its variability is dominated by the mesoscale, mainly expressed by the presence of meanders and eddies, which are understood to be local regulators of air-sea interaction processes. The objective of this work is to study the local modulation of air-sea interaction variables by the presence of either a warm (ED1) and a cold core (ED2) eddy, present in the BMC, during September to November 2013. The translation and lifespans of both eddies were determined using satellite-derived sea level anomaly (SLA) data. Time series of satellite-derived surface wind data, as well as these and other meteorological variables, retrieved from ERA5 reanalysis at the eddies’ successive positions in time, allowed us to investigate the temporal modulation of the lower atmosphere by the eddies’ presence along their translation and lifespan. The reanalysis data indicate a mean increase of 78% in sensible and 55% in latent heat fluxes along the warm eddy trajectory in comparison to the surrounding ocean of the study region. Over the cold core eddy, on the other hand, we noticed a mean reduction of 49% and 25% in sensible and latent heat fluxes, respectively, compared to the adjacent ocean. Additionally, a field campaign observed both eddies and the lower atmosphere from ship-borne observations before, during and after crossing both eddies in the study region during October 2013. The presence of the eddies was imprinted on several surface meteorological variables depending on the sea surface temperature (SST) in the eddy cores. In situ oceanographic and meteorological data, together with high frequency micrometeorological data, were also used here to demonstrate that the local, rather than the large scale forcing of the eddies on the atmosphere above, is, as expected, the principal driver of air-sea interaction when transient atmospheric systems are stable (not actively varying) in the study region. We also make use of the in situ data to show the differences (biases) between bulk heat flux estimates (used on atmospheric reanalysis products) and eddy covariance measurements (taken as “sea truth”) of both sensible and latent heat fluxes. The findings demonstrate the importance of short-term changes (minutes to hours) in both the atmosphere and the ocean in contributing to these biases. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of the mesoscale oceanographic structures in the BMC on impacting local air-sea heat fluxes and the marine atmospheric boundary layer stability, especially under large scale, high-pressure atmospheric conditions.

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Section: Satellite-derived Wind Magnitudes and Atmospheric Reanalysissupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Satellite-derived Wind Magnitudes and Atmospheric Reanalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Air-Sea Interactions over Eddies in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence

et al. 2021

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“…This diagnostic has been inspired by Figure 1 of Gentemann et al. (2020). SST, sea surface temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Air‐Sea Interactions in the Cold Wakes of Tropical Cyclones

Pasquero

Desbiolles

Meroni

2021

Geophysical Research Letters

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The climate system is composed of different compartments which communicate and exchange properties at their boundaries, such as at the air-sea interface, modifying momentum, gas concentrations, heat, and moisture content. The air-sea fluxes depend on the thermal, chemical, and dynamical disequilibrium between the upper ocean and the lower atmosphere. Despite being crucial for both weather and climate phenomena, their observations are still challenging, especially at high-spatiotemporal resolution (Cronin et al., 2019; Gentemann et al., 2020). Air-sea fluxes are enhanced in presence of strong winds, which favor the vertical mixing both in the atmosphere and in the ocean, inhibiting the formation of a very shallow interface layer in quasi-equilibrium conditions that would limit further exchanges. Strong winds increase sensible heat flux and evaporation from the ocean into the atmosphere and input momentum into the upper ocean, generating turbulence that deepens the oceanic mixed layer. Both processes tend to reduce the sea surface temperature (SST). Atmospheric internal dynamics generates variability in the surface winds at the synoptic scale (O(1,000 km) and more), driving an upper ocean response that results in a widespread negative correlation between largescale winds and SST (see Figure 1a, the positive correlation in the eastern equatorial Pacific is due to the dynamics of El Niño Southern Oscillation, which is a fully coupled phenomenon). At smaller scales, the negative correlation disappears (see Figure 1b), indicating that winds no longer drive ocean surface conditions but rather are affected by SST mesoscale and submesoscale variability (O(100s km) and less). The scale separation between the two behaviors is thus related to the scale of the instabilities that generate balanced structures in the two media. Tropical cyclones are atmospheric phenomena with a size of O(100s km), in between atmospheric synoptic scales and oceanic mesoscales. They both affect and are affected by the SST

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Satellite signature of the instantaneous wind response to mesoscale oceanic thermal structures

Meroni,

Desbiolles,

Pasquero

2023

Quart J Royal Meteoro Soc

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The thermal air‐sea interaction mechanism that modulates the atmospheric mixing by the sea surface temperature (SST) variability is studied with long‐term consistent satellite records. Statistical analyses of daily and instantaneous wind and SST data are performed over the major western boundary currents (WBCs). This wind‐SST coupling, that is mediated by the atmospheric mixing, is found to be very relevant on daily, and even shorter, time scales. Co‐located and simultaneous SST and surface wind fields (from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and Advanced Scatterometer data) reveal that the atmosphere responds instantaneously to the presence of SST structures with a larger coupling coefficient with respect to daily and monthly time averaged fields. The coupling strength varies seasonally over the WBCs in the Northern Hemisphere, with the winter‐time coupling being the lowest. Reanalysis data show that this behaviour is related to the seasonality of the air‐sea temperature difference over the region of interest. Over the Northern Hemisphere WBCs, dry and cold continental air masses drive very unstable conditions, associated with a very weak thermal air‐sea coupling.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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FluxSat: Measuring the Ocean–Atmosphere Turbulent Exchange of Heat and Moisture from Space

Cited by 26 publications

References 88 publications

Air-Sea Interactions over Eddies in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence

Air-Sea Interactions over Eddies in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence

Air‐Sea Interactions in the Cold Wakes of Tropical Cyclones

Satellite signature of the instantaneous wind response to mesoscale oceanic thermal structures

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