Air-sea interactions and deep convection in the Labrador Sea
By: Laura S. Bramson
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 76
Description: Deep convection in the oceans, particularly at high latitudes, plays an important role in the climate systems      of the world's oceans and atmosphere. This study was conducted to examine atmospheric forcing effects      on deep convection in the Labrador Sea. The Naval Postgraduate School one dimensional ocean mixed      layer model was applied to the Labrador Sea from February 12 to March 10, 1997. The model was      initialized and forced with oceanographic and atmospheric data collected onboard the R/V Knorr during      the first field program of the Labrador Sea Deep Convection Experiment. An ocean mixed layer depth      close to 1300m was predicted and verified using the observed data. A sensitivity study was conducted      using deviations from observations as input to determine how variations in atmospheric forcing could lead      to the observed and even deepened ocean mixed layer. Observed Conductivity, temperature and depth      (CTD) data were used to verify the model's spatial and temporal predictions of mixed layer temperature,      salinity and depth. Model predicted mixed layer depths were usually slightly deeper than those observed.      The final model output predicted temperature rather accurately, but model predicted salinity values were      consistently low. A variety of sensitivity studies gave new insight to the individual influences of surface      fluxes, momentum stresses, precipitation, salinity and individual storm variations to the mixed layer      temperature, salinity and depth of the Labrador Sea.
Notes: "December 1997."

Thesis advisor(s): Peter Guest, Roland Garwood.

Thesis (M.S. in Meteorology and M.S. in Physical Oceanography) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1997.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-74)

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat reader.

US Navy (USN) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 05/08/98.