LONG-TERM GOAL

The long-range goal of this project is to improve our ability to understand and predict environmental conditions in the coastal zone. OBJECTIVES The primary scientific objectives of the proposed research are to use a coupled atmosphere--ocean model to investigate and quantify the interaction between the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers and its effect on environmental conditions in the coastal zone. The main focus will be on boundary layer interactions under coastal upwelling conditions, in which cold, upwelled ocean surface water induces the development of stable internal boundary layers in the atmosphere and thereby reduces low-level winds and surface stress. APPROACH The approach used in this project is to combine numerical model results with in-situ and remote-sensing observations to understand and quantify physical processes in the coastal, coupled atmosphere-ocean and test their representation in mesoscale atmospheric models. WORK COMPLETED Work has continued on testing a coupled version of the COAMPS and ROMS models. Results fro