Analysis of Near-Surface Atmospheric Measurements Obtained During CBLAST-LOW

The long-range goal of the proposed research is to understand air-sea interaction and coupled atmospheric and oceanic boundary layer dynamics at low wind speeds where the dynamic processes are driven and/or strongly modulated by thermal forcing. The low wind regime extends from the extreme situation where wind stress is negligible and thermal forcing dominates up to wind speeds where wave breaking and Langmuir circulations are also expected to play a role in the exchange processes. Therefore, the CBLAST-LOW investigators seek to make observations over a wide range of environmental conditions with the intent of improving our understanding of upper ocean and lower atmosphere dynamics and of the physical processes that determine both the vertical and horizontal structure of the marine boundary layers.