Synoptic Variability of Ocean–Atmosphere Turbulent Fluxes Associated with Atmospheric Cyclones

Abstract

Synoptic-scale variability in the air?sea turbulent fluxes in the areas of midlatitudinal western boundary currents is analyzed. In the Gulf Stream area, ocean?atmosphere fluxes on synoptic time- and space scales are clearly coordinated with the propagating synoptic-scale atmospheric transients. The statistical analysis of 6-hourly resolution sea level pressure and surface turbulent fluxes from the NCEP?NCAR reanalysis for the period from 1948 to 2000 in the area of strong sea surface temperature gradients in the Gulf Stream gives strong proof for the association between the propagating cyclones and synoptic patterns of surface turbulent fluxes. It is shown that sea?air interaction in this area is controlled by the sharpness of surface temperature gradients in the ocean and by the intensity of the advection of the air masses in different parts of cyclones during the cold-air and warm-air outbreaks. A simple parameter based on the joint consideration of the characteristics of sea surface temperature and sea level pressure fields is used to characterize the synoptic variability of air?sea turbulent fluxes. The effectiveness of the relationship between surface temperature and surface pressure on one side and air?sea flux anomalies on the other vary from year to year in phase with variability in the frequencies of deep atmospheric cyclones in the Gulf Stream area. The limits of applicability of the approach, its sensitivity to higher-resolution sea surface temperature data, and the possibility of its further applications are discussed.