Analysis of meteorological observations from an array of buoys during JASIN

• Main Author: Ishida, Hiroshi
• Other Authors: Paulson, Clayton A., School of Oceanography, Oregon State University. Graduate School
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English; unknown
• Published: Oregon State University
• Subjects: Ocean-atmosphere interaction > North Atlantic Ocean; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/kh04ds37n

Observations of wind speed and direction, air and sea temperature, and solar radiation were obtained from an array of buoys in JASIN. The observations were analyzed to show spatial and temporal variability. Spectra of wind speed and air and sea temperature were computed to illustrate the distribution of variance over periods ranging from 3.5 minutes to 40 days. When plotted on log-log graphs the spectral estimates generally decrease with increasing frequency with slopes between -3/2 and -2. Spectra of air and sea temperature have a peak at the diurnal frequency. When plotted in variance-preserving form, the spectrum of wind speed is consistent with a spectral gap and is qualitatively similar to other observations of low frequency spectra. On the basis of a cross-correlation analysis, it appears that mesoscale eddies propagated with the mean wind speed except during frontal passages. Based on the cross-correlation between wind speed and air temperature, there is evidence of horizontal roll vortices or organized convection.