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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 29, NO. 24, 2211, doi:10.1029/2001GL014236, 2002

Stability-induced modification of sea surface winds over Gulf Stream rings

Kyung-Ae Park

University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, USA


Peter C. Cornillon

University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, USA


Abstract

Satellite-borne scatterometer and infrared data collected over Gulf Stream warm and cold core rings are used to study the effect of the sea-air temperature difference on the wind speed over rings. The observed acceleration of the wind over warm core rings and deceleration over cold core rings is found to be consistent with that predicted by the planetary boundary layer model of Brown and Foster [1994] . In addition it is shown that the distance over which the winds respond to an ocean surface temperature step is short (≤25km) while the distance over which the marine boundary layer responds to a surface temperature step is long (≥175km).

Published 27 December 2002.

Index Terms: 4504 Oceanography: Physical: Air/sea interactions (0312); 3339 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Ocean/atmosphere interactions (0312, 4504); 3307 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Boundary layer processes; 4275 Oceanography: General: Remote sensing and electromagnetic processes (0689); 4520 Oceanography: Physical: Eddies and mesoscale processes.

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Citation: Park, K., and P. C. Cornillon (2002), Stability-induced modification of sea surface winds over Gulf Stream rings, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(24), 2211, doi:10.1029/2001GL014236.