An investigation of momentum exchange parameterizations and atmospheric forcing for the Coastal Mixing and Optics Program
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/5343DOI
10.1575/1912/5343Abstract
This thesis presents an investigation of the influence of surface waves on momentum
exchange. A quantitative comparison of direct covariance friction velocity measurements
to bulk aerodynamic and inertial dissipation estimates indicates that both indirect
methods systematically underestimate the momentum flux into developing seas. To
account for wave-induced processes and yield improved flux estimates, modifications to
the traditional flux parameterizations are explored.
Modification to the bulk aerodynamic method involves incorporating sea state
dependence into the roughness length calculation. For the inertial dissipation method, a
new parameterization for the dimensionless dissipation rate is proposed. The
modifications lead to improved momentum flux estimates for both methods.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 1998
Suggested Citation
Thesis: Martin, Michiko J., "An investigation of momentum exchange parameterizations and atmospheric forcing for the Coastal Mixing and Optics Program", 1998-09, DOI:10.1575/1912/5343, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/5343Related items
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