A Sea-Land Transition Observed during the COAST Experiment

Abstract

A sea wind situation was analyzed during the COAST (Cooperative Operations with Acoustic Sounding Techniques) experiment. The thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL) which develops inland from the coast was investigated by an instrumented aircraft and fixed measurements, and by a two dimensional version of a third order turbulence closure model. The two-dimensional structure of the TIBL was demonstrated in the vertical, perpendicular to the shore. The mean quantities (temperature, humidity, and wind), as well as their turbulent moments, were computed and comparison made between experiment and model. The experimental mean fields were well reproduced by the, model. The turbulence fields were reproduced in their general features as well as in their magnitude, but not in local singularities.