Measurements of Shear and Turbulence during the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) Mixed Layer Dynamics Pilot Program

在这个项目中，P.I.S将获得热带西太平洋暖池区的切变和湍流时间序列，那里的海洋混合层制度与其他制度有很大的不同，例如在热带热力期间观测到的中太平洋地区。当地降雨和岛屿径流使近地面层变得新鲜，形成了一个非热力浮力层，有效地减弱了热力层的风混合，除非是在非常强或持续的风中。了解这一地区的混合对于理清厄尔尼诺现象特别是厄尔尼诺现象产生的假说，以及对一般的热带海洋模拟具有重要意义。海洋测量将与根据配套赠款改进的海-气通量测量相结合。

In this project, the P.I.'s will obtain time series of shear and turbulence in the area of the warm pool in the western tropical Pacific Ocean, where the oceanic mixed layer regime differs greatly from other regimes, such as that in the central Pacific observed during Tropic Heat. Local rainfall and island runoff freshen the near-surface layer, creating a non-thermal buoyancy layer that effectively attenuates wind-mixing of the thermal layer except under very strong or sustained winds. Understanding mixing in this area is of fundamental importance to sorting out the hypotheses for generation of El Nino in particular, and for tropical ocean modeling in general. Ocean measurements will be combined with improved measurements of air-sea fluxes made under a companion grant.