Four-year averages of 25-kilometer-resolution measurements near-surface wind speed and direction over the global ocean from QuikSCAT satellite radar scatterometer reveal existence surprisingly persistent small-scale features in dynamically thermodynamically important curl divergence stress. Air-sea interaction sea surface temperature fronts throughout world is evident both fields, as are influences islands coastal mountains. Ocean currents such Gulf Stream generate distinctive patterns...

AbstractSpatiotemporal processes are ubiquitous in the environmental and physical sciences. This is certainly true of atmospheric oceanic processes, which typically exhibit many different scales spatial temporal variability. The complexity these large number observation/prediction locations preclude use traditional covariance-based spatiotemporal statistical methods. Alternatively, we focus on conditionally specified (i.e., hierarchical) models. These methods offer several advantages over...

Surface vector wind datasets from scatterometers provide essential high-resolution surface forcing information for analyses and models of global atmosphere–ocean processes affecting weather climate. The importance realistic amplitude, high-wavenumber, scatterometer data has been demonstrated in a variety ocean modeling applications. However, the radar backscatter signal which estimates are retrieved is attenuated and/or contaminated heavy rain. QuikSCAT (QSCAT) dataset flags...

A numerical technique sensitive to both spectral and spatial aspects of sea surface wind measurements is introduced transform the irregularly sampled satellite-based scatterometer data into regularly gridded fields. To capture prevailing wavenumber characteristics (power-law dependence) vector components, wavelet coefficients are computed from along satellite tracks. The statistics then used simulate high-resolution components over off-track regions where not available. Using this technique,...

Enhanced global surface wind fields are constructed from a blend of NASA scatterometer (NSCAT) and ERS 2 data National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) analyses, at 6‐hour intervals, repeatable annual cycle August 1996 through July 1997. Wind field properties (wind speed, zonal meridional stresses, stress curl, kinetic energy input) the enhanced winds compared with NCEP analyses same time period. Large‐scale, patterns dominate average difference maps speed both components stress....

By means of Bayesian hierarchical modeling (BHM), we develop a model for aspects vigorous air‐sea interactions on basin scale. The approach relies both physical reasoning and statistical techniques data processing uncertainty management. theory current practice BHM interaction physics will be introduced demonstrated in this paper. demonstration is the context an observing system simulation experiment. An ocean “truth” driven by idealized surface winds testbed domain abstracted from Labrador...

Abstract A Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM) is developed to estimate surface vector wind (SVW) fields and associated uncertainties over the Mediterranean Sea. The BHM–SVW incorporates data‐stage inputs from analyses forecasts of European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) SVW retrievals QuikSCAT data record. process‐model stage based on a Rayleigh friction equation winds. Dynamical interpretations posterior distributions parameters are discussed. Ten realizations distribution...

Abstract In this paper, we derive the atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) and acoustic excited by an ocean surface wave packet with frequency ω F duration χ in f plane, isothermal, windless, inviscid atmosphere. This is modeled as a localized vertical body force Gaussian depth σ z . The GW spectrum has discrete intrinsic frequencies ( I r ) at ±2 π / (“sum” “difference”) “continuum” of for < +2 momentum flux peaks ∼ decreases rapidly decreases. To simulate effect these GWs have on...

Eastward phase propagation, at speed faster than 30 m s−1, of a signal in the equatorial troposphere Eastern Pacific is detected, first historical meteorological observations and then more recent data. A baroclinic mode vertical structure identified with this separate analyses based on linear theory complex empirical orthogonal functions, respectively. This rapid, eastward conceptualized as far-field dispersion product strong convection associated intraseasonal tropical oscillation Indian...

Closed reduced equations analogous to the quasi-geostrophic are derived in extratropics for small Rossby numbers and vertical scales that comparable or much larger than horizontal scales. On these scales, significant motions permitted found couple balanced geostrophic dynamics. In equatorial regions, similar meridional zonal These by a systematic exploration of different aspect ratios, Froude buoyancy numbers, offer advantages standard studies smaller-scale processes and/or regions.

The time-average wind stress curl field for the global ocean is computed from retrievals of NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) mission spanning period 1 October 1996–29 June 1997. Particular attention paid to large-amplitude, small-scale "patchiness" in average over major basins, and long narrow features that occur along eastern boundary regions. 9-month-average NSCAT examined at 0.5°, 1°, on a Gaussian grid consistent with T62 truncation spectral forecast model. latter compared NCEP analyses same...

Abstract This study examines scatterometer-observed surface wind divergence and vorticity, along with precipitable water (PW), across the life cycle of tropical maritime mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) as resolved in 0.5° data. Simple composites were constructed around first appearances cold (<210 K) cloud tops infrared (IR) data at 3-hourly resolution. Many thousands such events from Indo-Pacific 2000 used. Composites subpopulations also by subdividing dataset according to IR...

This paper focuses on the spatio‐temporal dynamical processes in lower trophic level marine ecosystems, where various sources of uncertainty make statistical modeling difficult. Such exhibit nonlinearity time and potential nonstationarity space. Planktonic organisms are microscopic, making it difficult to measure their abundance resulting limited data. Further, deterministic, component‐based ecosystem models contain a large number parameters, some which can be estimate. We consider Bayesian...

Abstract This article analyzes the ocean forecast response to surface vector wind (SVW) distributions generated by a Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM) developed in Part I of this series. A new method for ensemble forecasting (OEF), so‐called BHM‐SVW‐OEF, is described. BHM‐SVW realizations are used produce and force perturbations state during 14 day analysis 10 cycles Mediterranean Forecast System (MFS). The BHM‐SVW‐OEF spread amplified at mesoscales pycnocline eddy field. compared with an...

Boundary value problems are ubiquitous in the atmospheric and ocean sciences. Typical settings include bounded, partially global, limited area domains, discretized for applications of numerical models relevant fluid equations. Often, constructed to interpret intensive datasets collected over a specific region, from variety observational platforms. These data noisy they typically do not span domain interest uniformly space time. Traditional procedures cannot easily account these...

We analyze the periods 1878–1944 and 1944–2008. The quasi‐stationary wave in North Atlantic region was stronger baroclinity steeper than Oscillation Index—as defined by Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia—was higher former period too. illustrate these statements maps sea level pressure air temperature at surface. long‐term trends Index are linked to trend sunspot number such that when, mean, numbers were high (Gleissberg maxima) two quantities parallel; when mean low minima)...

Processes in ocean physics, air–sea interaction and biogeochemistry span enormous ranges spatial temporal scales, that is, from molecular to planetary seconds millennia. Identifying implementing sustainable human practices depend critically on our understandings of key aspects physics ecology within these scale ranges. The set all data is distorted such three- four-dimensional (i.e., time-dependent) situ are very sparse, while observations surface upper properties space-borne platforms have...

Near-surface wind spectra are considered from three very different data sources, covering a range of spatial scales 100 to 103 km. The were observed during the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment intensive observation period spanning November 1992 February 1993. Spectra examined low-resolution yet spatially and temporally complete National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis fields, moderate resolution satellite-based ERS-1 scatterometer...

High-resolution (1/5°×1/6°) quasigeostrophic models of the North Atlantic Ocean are forced by daily wind stress curl fields controlled wavenumber content. In low-wavenumber case, is derived from a low-pass filtering ECMWF such that retained band observed to obey k−2 power law in spectrum for each day (where k vector). second content comparable derivable an ideal scatterometer-wind dataset. Decadal-average streamfunction compared with climatology dynamic topography and between model...