Understanding atmospheric turbulence and its connection to the surface energy exchange is critical to furthering predictive capabilities. Innovative new tools, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and surface-based remote sensors, are providing revolutionary perspectives on processes of interest. These tools can be used to study a variety of topics, including boundary-layer (mixing) depth, surface fluxes, entrainment, structure functions, variances, and diffusion coefficients, across a variety of meteorological and latitudinal regimes over both terrestrial and oceanic surfaces. Such studies may include using a variety of observations to improve existing models of drag, heat, and moisture coefficients; sea spray; sea ice; and coupling of surface fluxes to waves and ocean processes, Generally, research opportunities exist in the areas of (1) analysis of measurements collected using various observational capabilities to develop understanding of lower atmospheric and upper oceanic processes and surface-atmosphere exchange, (2) evaluation and development of modeling tools using these measurements, and (3) development and field deployment of new observational capabilities, including UAS and associated sensors.
References
Cione JJ, Kalina E, Uhlhorn E, Damiano A: 2016: Coyote Unmanned Aircraft System Observations in Hurricane Edouard. Earth and Space Science 2014, doi:10.1002/2016EA000187
Fairall CW, Pezoa S, Moran K, Wolfe D: An observation of sea spray microphysics by airborne Doppler radar. Geophysical Research Letters 41: 2014. doi:10.1002/2014GL06.0062
de Boer G, Ivey MD, Schmid B, McFarlane S, Petty R: Unmanned platforms monitor the Arctic atmosphere. EOS 97, doi:10.1029/2016EO046441
Boundary layer; Tropical cyclones; Surface layer; Fluxes; Turbulence; Arctic; Thermodynamics; Unmanned aircraft;