Collaborators
Kerstin Richter, Christoph S. Garbe and Bernd JähneFunding
Funding was provided by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (bmbf) during the period 2/2007-1/2010.Physically-Based Parameterization of Air-Sea Gas Exchange by linked Lab and Field Experiments
This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the SOPRAN (Surface Ocean PRocesses in the ANthropocene) project. It is part of Theme 4: Inter-Phase Transfer at the Sea Surface.
SummaryThe overall objective of this project is: to obtain improved quantitative understanding of atmosphere-ocean exchange mechanisms that are crucial for the assessment of the fluxes between atmosphere and ocean and their variability, both in terms of natural variability and with respect to global change. Our two specific objectives are:
Physical understanding of the mechanisms of air-sea gas transfer especially the influence of waves, surface films and other factors controlling turbulence close to the ocean interface.
Based on this knowledge, a physically-based parameterization shall be worked out that reduces the uncertainty of the transfer velocity with current semiempiric wind-speed/transfer velocity relations of about a factor two (100%) down to lower than 20%. An important objective in this respect is also the integration of the transfer rates from the small spatial and temporal scales - at which they take place and are measured by our technique - to meso and global scales. In close cooperation with D. Stammer (SOPRAN Project 4.4), it will be investigated how parameters that can be measured by satellites, especially the mean square slope of the waves, can be utilized in such a parameterization.