Oceanic LES Simulations to Interpret and Synthesize Turbulence Measurements Obtained During CBLAST-Low

Because of limited wind fetch and shallow water depth, air-sea interaction in coastal oceans is very different from that in the open ocean. Surface waves in coastal oceans often have a sea state far from the fully-developed sea. As shown in recent observations (Donelan et al., 1993; Garrett, 1997), drag coefficient is a strong function of wave age. At the same wind speed, the air-sea momentum flux in growing seas may be significantly larger than that in fully-developed seas. Wave spectrum in growing seas is narrowly peaked so that the Stokes drift current is different. These differences in wind stress and wave field can cause dramatic changes in turbulence characteristics in the ocean surface layer. The Air-Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT) constructed during the CBLAST program provides an ideal platform to observe and monitor air-sea interaction processes in the coastal ocean. Our modeling work is intended to facilitate the interpretations of the CBLAST measurements and improve our understanding of air-sea interaction in fetch-limited shallow seas.