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Satellite evidence of wintertime atmospheric boundary layer responses to multiple SST fronts in the Japan Sea
Author(s) -
Shimada Teruhisa,
Kawamura Hiroshi
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl035810
Subject(s) - sea surface temperature , anomaly (physics) , wind shear , atmospheric sciences , climatology , geology , environmental science , boundary layer , front (military) , atmosphere (unit) , planetary boundary layer , satellite , wind speed , turbulence , meteorology , oceanography , geography , physics , engineering , aerospace engineering , thermodynamics , condensed matter physics
We present satellite evidence of wintertime atmospheric boundary layer responses to multiple sea surface temperature (SST) fronts in the Japan Sea under cold‐air outbreak during 22–28 December 2005. It is found that the lower atmosphere adheres to the stepwise SST variations, focusing on a wind trajectory from the Eurasian continent to the northern Japan, which goes through the meandering Polar Front and the Tsushima Warm Current. Wind speed anomaly and wind divergence are linearly related to the SST anomaly and downwind SST gradient, respectively. Vertically uniform layers of potential temperature are accomplished when reaching the Polar Front and Tsushima Warm Current. Variations of water vapor mixing ratio and the resulting surface turbulent heat fluxes show also stepwise increases. Little wind vertical shear on the Japanese coast suggests that well‐mixed boundary layer is eventually formed.