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Science Meetings

A Modeling and Observational Analysis of Air-Sea Moisture Exchange During the SPURS Field Program
Rosenberg, A.M., Edson, J.B., Farrar, J.T., and Plueddemann, A.J. (26-Feb-14)

The Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) is used to investigate the nature of moisture fluxes and precipitation during the NASA Salinity Processes in the Upper-Ocean Regional Study (SPURS). The model is first modified to use the latest version of the COARE turbulent flux bulk algorithm. WRF is then run over the SPURS domain (roughly 15-30°N, 30-45°W) with a high-resolution nested grid over the central SPURS mooring where fluxes are measured directly with eddy covariance. The study will focus on periods when ship surveys were conducted in close proximity to the mooring. This allows comparison between the model output and directly measured buoy and ship-based fluxes. Sensitivity tests are conducted for the original vs. modified evaporative flux schemes and for the basic WRF ocean model options. The model output is then used to test, e.g., the assumption of horizontal moisture flux homogeneity within the domain, and to create area averaged estimates of precipitation - evaporation (P-E) for use in the SPURS freshwater/salt budgeting effort.