High-Resolution Satellite-Derived Dataset of the Surface Fluxes of Heat, Freshwater, and Momentum for the TOGA COARE IOP

The interaction between the tropical atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean warm pool consists of intense but episodic exchanges of heat, momentum, and freshwater. This coupling of the atmosphere–ocean system occurs over temporal scales ranging from that of an individual cloud to the Walker circulation. A unique feature of the equatorial oceans is the existence of a free-wave mode of large zonal wavelength called an equatorial Kelvin mode that carries energy to the east. These Kelvin waves are partly responsible for the rapid response of the equatorial ocean to atmospheric forcing. Therefore, even mesoscale events that occur in the equatorial regions can create large zonal perturbations. However, the way in which these mesoscale events influence the coupled atmosphere–ocean system on timescales from the mesoscale to the interannual is not well understood. The Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) is an observation and modeling program that aims specifically at the elucidation of the physical proHigh-Resolution Satellite-Derived Dataset of the Surface Fluxes of Heat, Freshwater, and Momentum for the TOGA COARE IOP