Physically Based Flux Modeling

 

Mark A. Bourassa

Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies

Florida State University

 

Several Considerations in Modeling Fluxes

1. Wind-Wave Equilibrium

2. Rising and Falling Seas (Departures from Equilibrium)

· HEXOS results and other observational studies found

· Increasing stresses for rising seas

· In the absence of swell

· How often is swell absent in the open ocean?

3. Wave-Wave Interaction

· A lot of people have said it's important, but how do we model it?

4. Directional Considerations

· Observations show differences in directions of wind and wave propagation can have a large systematic impact!

· Two horizontal dimensions.

· Non-isotropic roughness length.

5. Dodging the Issue of Sea State

· Winds are not the only remotely sensed 'surface forcing.'