CAREER: Investigating the impacts of sea breeze and steep surface gravity waves on nearshore air-sea fluxes

The overarching goal of this project is to advance understanding of the role that ocean surface waves play in mediating the exchange of momentum and heat between the earth’s atmosphere and ocean – especially over spatial and temporal scales that are presently under-resolved by observations and regional models. This will be achieved via a field campaign to make observations of surface wave characteristics and air-sea fluxes. The results will enable a more detailed description of the dynamical connection between atmosphere and ocean as mediated by ocean surface waves. The educational component of the project will focus on developing and implementing new educational modules that integrate surface waves and air-sea interaction within ocean engineering and oceanography curricula and engaging with the public of northern New England through the development of new interactive exhibits at the Seacoast Science Center of Rye, NH. This project addresses the relationship between ocean surface waves and air-sea fluxes. Ocean surface waves affect the mean fluxes of momentum, heat, and gas across the air-sea interface. The project will yield fully directional spatiotemporal measurements of surface waves with centimeter to decameter-scale wavelengths, the degree to which those waves are modified by time-varying wind forcing and long surface waves, and the effect of that modulation on air-sea fluxes. The project will measure and assess the degree to which time-varying wind forcing impacts the growth of young wind waves and variability of air-sea fluxes in nearshore waters. The role of intermittency in steep surface gravity waves in modulating turbulent air-sea fluxes will be quantified. The results will be used to improve understanding of the impact of surface waves on air-sea interaction in coastal zones in the presence of variable environmental conditions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.