Super sites for advancing understanding of the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers

• Air–sea interactions are critical to large-scale weather and climate predictions because of the ocean’s ability to absorb excess atmospheric heat and carbon and regulate exchanges of momentum, water vapor, and other greenhouse gases. These exchanges are controlled by molecular, turbulent, and wave-driven processes in the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers. Improved understanding and representation of these processes in models are key for increasing Earth system prediction skill, particularly for subseasonal to decadal time scales. Our understanding and ability to model these processes within this coupled system is presently inadequate due in large part to a lack of data: contemporaneous long-term observations from the top of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) to the base of the oceanic mixing layer. We propose the concept of “Super Sites” to provide multi-year suites of measurements at specific locations to simultaneously characterize physical and biogeochemical processes within the coupled boundary layers at high spatial and temporal resolution. Measurements will be made from floating platforms, buoys, towers, and autonomous vehicles, utilizing both in-situ and remote sensors. The engineering challenges and level of coordination, integration, and interoperability required to develop these coupled ocean–atmosphere Super Sites place them in an “Ocean Shot” class. © 2021, Marine Technology Society Inc.. All rights reserved.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Greenhouse gases

Remote sensing

Biogeochemical process

Coupled boundary layers

Engineering challenges

Floating platforms

Long term observations

Marine atmospheric boundary layer

Oceanic boundary layers

Spatial and temporal resolutions

Atmospheric boundary layer

air-sea interaction

atmosphere-ocean coupling

autonomous underwater vehicle

boundary layer

detection method

observational method

Air

Niger [West Africa]

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)