A Study of Cold-Air Modification over the Gulf of Mexico Using In Situ Data and Mixed-Layer Modeling

Abstract

The evolution of the mean characteristics of the marine boundary layer during cold-air outbreaks can be described with an integrated or slab model. In order to assess the practical applicability of this-type of model to flows over the Gulf of Mexico, we use the observations collected during the Gulf of Mexico Experiment (GUFMEX) by an instrumented National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) P-3 aircraft and a Cross-chain Loran Atmospheric Sounding System (CLASS) onboard the U.S. Coast Guard vessel Salvia. The numerical results show that the model successfully reproduced the changes in mean characteristics of momentum, moisture, and temperature under unstable conditions. The largest differences between the predictions and measurements are 0.8°C for the potential temperature, 0.15 g kg?1 for the specific humidity, 47 m for the mixed-layer height, and 1.5 m s?1 for the horizontal velocity components. A sensitivity analysis shows that the modeled mixed-layer height is slightly sensitive to changes in the specified sea surface temperature, while the other mean characteristics are relatively insensitive to the input parameters. Based upon the results of this single case study, the slab model appears to be a promising approach to account for the moistening and heating processes at the air-sea interface during cold-air outbreaks over the Gulf of Mexico.