A Novel Near-Surface Wave-Coherent Instantaneous Profiling System for Atmospheric Measurements

Large knowledge gaps concerning the effect of ocean surface waves on near-surface vertical distributions of temperature and humidity exist due to practical limitations and sensor fidelity challenges of direct measurements. Measurements of temperature and humidity are classically made using rocket- o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mathew J. Stanek, Douglas M. Pastore, Erin E. Hackett
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-04-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/8/4099
Description
Summary:Large knowledge gaps concerning the effect of ocean surface waves on near-surface vertical distributions of temperature and humidity exist due to practical limitations and sensor fidelity challenges of direct measurements. Measurements of temperature and humidity are classically made using rocket- or radiosondes and fixed weather stations and can utilize a tethered profiling system. However, these measurement systems have limitations when obtaining wave-coherent measurements near the sea surface. Consequently, boundary layer similarity models are commonly employed to fill in near-surface measurement gaps despite the documented shortcomings of the models in this region. Thus, this manuscript presents a near-surface wave-coherent measurement platform that measures high-temporal-resolution vertical distributions of temperature and humidity down to ~0.3 m above the instantaneous sea surface. The design of the platform is described along with preliminary observations obtained during a pilot experiment. Ocean surface-wave phase-resolved vertical profiles are also demonstrated from the observations.
ISSN:1424-8220