Air/Sea Fluxes Mediated by Pressure Work

Drs. Seth Zippel, Malcolm Scully, and Jim Edson are seeking a doctoral student for an NSF-funded project to study turbulence in the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers. We are hoping to understand the role of ocean waves, wave breaking, and turbulent pressure in atmosphere and ocean exchanges, which are central to understanding air/sea transfer of heat, gasses, and momentum. We will conduct two field experiments with a tower in Pamlico sound, NC, collecting wave, turbulence, and pressure data on both the atmosphere and water sides of the boundary. These findings will help improve our fundamental understanding of air/sea interactions, which are central to weather, climate, and upper ocean transport for biota, plastics, and other tracers.