Wave–induced characteristics of atmospheric turbulence flux measurements

Abstract

In this paper, we present the air–sea flux of momentum obtained with the eddy correlation method applied to data measured from a moored discus buoy deployed approximately 600 m off a research Air Sea Interaction Tower at Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory, Massachusetts during spring 2010. We discuss corrections to account for the wave–induced motion of buoy. Our analysis confirm that the neutral drag coefficient depends upon wave age and wind speed. The data scatter between wind and momentum stress in the low wind speed are significantly larger for those with higher wind speeds. Furthermore, the momentum transfer is investigated using a wave model with sea state dependent drag coefficient. This wave age dependent drag reveals fairly good agreement compared to the observed drag coefficient.