A Model of Diurnal Variability of the Ocean-Atmosphere System in the Undisturbed Trade Wind Regime

One-dimensional coupled air-sea models are used to compare the responses to diurnal heating of a diffusive model and a bulk model of the oceanic mixed layer, and to investigate the diurnal variability of the upper ocean and lower atmosphere in the undisturbed trade wind regime. The diffusive model o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Clancy,R Michael
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
AIR WATER INTERACTIONS
ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE
BOUNDARY LAYER
CLOUD COVER
DIURNAL VARIATIONS
MARINE METEOROLOGY
Meteorology
OCEAN MODELS
OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
Trade winds
WIND
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Summary:One-dimensional coupled air-sea models are used to compare the responses to diurnal heating of a diffusive model and a bulk model of the oceanic mixed layer, and to investigate the diurnal variability of the upper ocean and lower atmosphere in the undisturbed trade wind regime. The diffusive model of the oceanic mixed layer uses the Level-2 turbulence closure theory of Mellor and Yamada (1974) while the bulk model uses the entrainment hypothesis and mean-turbulent-field modeling technique of Garwood (1977). The diurnal fluctuation of the surface sensible plus latent heat flux is controlled by both direct radiational heating of the atmosphere and direct radiational heating of the ocean. However, the amplitude of this fluctuation is about two orders of magnitude smaller than the amplitude of the surface solar flux which is primarily responsible for driving the diurnal sea surface temperature fluctuation. Although the sea surface temperature fluctuation alters the surface solar flux through its influence on cloud cover, this alteration is extremely small. Consequently, the feedback loop between the ocean and the atmosphere is exceedingly weak at the diurnal time scale.