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Air‐sea interaction and spatial variability of the surface evaporation duct in a coastal environment
Author(s) -
Brooks Ian M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2000gl012751
Subject(s) - upwelling , wind stress , geology , mesoscale meteorology , advection , planetary boundary layer , sea surface temperature , boundary layer , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , geophysics , climatology , oceanography , mechanics , physics , thermodynamics
Aircraft observations are presented of the horizontal variability in the depth of the surface evaporation duct and the relationship with the mesoscale structure of air‐sea interaction processes. The 2‐dimensional fields of near‐surface wind, stress, wind‐stress curl, air and sea‐surface temperature are measured directly for flow around a headland. The sea surface temperature field indicates cold upwelling driven by the wind‐stress curl. Boundary‐layer stability responds rapidly to the spatial changes in surface temperature. These changes result in modification of the evaporation duct, which decreases significantly in depth over the cooler upwelling water.