TOGA: Determination and Impacts of Surface Radiative Fluxes for TOGA COARE

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In support of the TOGA COARE objectives, this project is a study of the surface radiative processes in the western Pacific warm pool region. The objective of the program is to provide analyses of: sea-surface "skin" temperature, precipitable water, cloud properties, and components of the surface longwave and shortwave radiative fluxes, with spatial resolution of 30 km and temporal resolution of 3 hours for the entire TOGA COARE primary domain. The data for the analyses will be obtained principally by satellite remote sensing, with the ISCCP data set and algorithms playing a substantial role. Available surface and aircraft data will be utilized to validate the remote sensing algorithms and will also be blended with the satellite retrievals for the final analysis products. An aircraft sub-program is proposed specifically to investigate cloud-radiative properties, and to validate the satellite-derived surface fluxes. The proposed research will be accomplished in three stages: i) remote sensing pilot study to develop and compare satellite algorithms; ii) validation of remote sensing algorithms using TOGA COARE IOP surface and aircraft observations and preparation of high-resolution analyses for the IOP; and iii) diagnostic and modelling studies utilizing the analyzed fields. Diagnostic studies of the modulation of the analyzed surface radiative fluxes by synoptic and mesoscale atmospheric forcing will be conducted. The temporal response of the ocean mixed layer to fluctuations in the surface radiative fluxes will be examined using an ocean mixed- layer model. The ocean mixed-layer model will be coupled to an atmospheric radiative-convective model to assess the radiative and cloud feedbacks occurring between the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers. This research is important because it serves as one of the principal TOGA/COARE studies of the processes responsible for the coupling of the ocean-atmosphere in an especially climate sensitive region of the world, the western Pacific Ocean, the field site of TOGA/COARE.