Observations of the Marine Boundary Layer Thermal Structure over the Gulf Stream during a Cold Air Outbreak

Abstract
Thermal structure of the marine boundary layer (MBL) was studied during a five-day cruise over the coastal Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina. Three different synoptic conditions were present: ahead of a low moving along the coast, in the area of a frontal zone and during a cold air outbreak. The marine boundary layer height was deeper (approximately 1500 m) and more sharply defined during the cold air outbreak than when the flow was southwesterly with a long fetch over water; the height was only about 1000 m for the latter case. Latent heat fluxes were significantly larger than sensible heat, but during the cold air outbreak, sensible heat fluxes increased appreciably. Abstract Thermal structure of the marine boundary layer (MBL) was studied during a five-day cruise over the coastal Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina. Three different synoptic conditions were present: ahead of a low moving along the coast, in the area of a frontal zone and during a cold air outbreak. The marine boundary layer height was deeper (approximately 1500 m) and more sharply defined during the cold air outbreak than when the flow was southwesterly with a long fetch over water; the height was only about 1000 m for the latter case. Latent heat fluxes were significantly larger than sensible heat, but during the cold air outbreak, sensible heat fluxes increased appreciably.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: