TRR 181 Seminar "Structure of the airflow above ocean surface waves"

The TRR 181 seminar is held by Dr. Marc Buckley (Helmholtz Center Geesthacht, TP M6) on

Structure of the airflow above ocean surface waves

at Universität Hamburg on May 18 at 10 am, Bundesstr. 53, Room 22/23 (ground floor).

Abstract

The fluxes of momentum, energy, mass and heat between the atmosphere and the ocean are important boundary conditions for weather, sea state, and climate predictions. These fluxes are influenced by small-scale turbulent dynamics above and below the wavy air-sea interface. In spite of extensive past work on the topic, these processes remain improperly quantified and understood. This is due, in part, to the technical challenges involved in the measurement and modelling of the complex turbulent kinematics in the direct vicinity of the rapidly moving air-sea interface.
The fine-scale structure of the airflow within the first millimeters above the wavy water surface will be discussed, using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements obtained in University of Delaware’s large wind-wave-current facility (USA).A novel in situ measurement system will also be presented. The system will be mounted on a single-pile platform in the Baltic Sea (Germany). The platform will be equipped with a high resolution, large field of view PIV system, specially developed for this study, and capable of capturing 2D velocity fields in the air directly above the wavy sea surface.