Air-Sea Momentum Flux at High Sea States

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

Hara Funding is provided to develop a new model of air-sea momentum flux at high sea states including the enhanced drag by breaking waves. The central hypothesis for the work is that the momentum flux is a sum of the contribution by non-breaking waves (estimated by integrating the wave drag due to each sinusoidal component), the contribution from breaking waves (estimated by integrating the drag per unit length of breaking wave crests), as well as skin friction. Both filed and laboratory observations will be used to test the model. The parameters in the model will be adjusted to represent realistic open ocean surface wave spectra and breaking wave statistics.