ASIS tethered to EASI during the 2010 ITOP experiment
My Research
I study the dynamics of the oceanic boundary layer with a focus on tropical storm induced high wind speed conditions. My studies include tropical cyclone effects on sea surface temperature, and fluxes of momentum and heat between the ocean and the atmosphere.
I am working with data collected during the Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) experiment. The data was collected in 2010 upon two pairs of buoys (see ASIS and EASI, below) in the Philippine Sea, ~740miles east of Southern Taiwan. Environmental conditions were monitored and recorded for over three months, a period which included the passage of three typhoon and one tropical storm. Sustained wind speeds over 25m/s and significant wave heights exceeding 10m were experienced.
Currently I am working to quantify the effects of wind speed and sea state on mass, heat, and momentum fluxes. These data are collected using fast response gas analyzers and anemometers and processed using the Eddy Covariance technique. My previous work from the same campaign explored the relationship between sea surface temperature and typhoon intensity.
Making in situ measurements at sea in such harsh conditions is extremely challenging, very few groups are equipped to do so, making this a very unique and valuable dataset. As such, my research is helping us develop a better understanding of boundary layer dynamics in the extreme conditions that occur in tropical cyclones.
I am working with data collected during the Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) experiment. The data was collected in 2010 upon two pairs of buoys (see ASIS and EASI, below) in the Philippine Sea, ~740miles east of Southern Taiwan. Environmental conditions were monitored and recorded for over three months, a period which included the passage of three typhoon and one tropical storm. Sustained wind speeds over 25m/s and significant wave heights exceeding 10m were experienced.
Currently I am working to quantify the effects of wind speed and sea state on mass, heat, and momentum fluxes. These data are collected using fast response gas analyzers and anemometers and processed using the Eddy Covariance technique. My previous work from the same campaign explored the relationship between sea surface temperature and typhoon intensity.
Making in situ measurements at sea in such harsh conditions is extremely challenging, very few groups are equipped to do so, making this a very unique and valuable dataset. As such, my research is helping us develop a better understanding of boundary layer dynamics in the extreme conditions that occur in tropical cyclones.
ASIS and EASI
The data I work with is collect in situ upon large moored or drifting buoys. These floating platforms, affectionately known as ASIS (Air Sea Interaction Spar) and EASI (Extreme Air Sea Interaction), function as meteorological stations which monitor and record environmental parameters above and below the surface. The buoys are equipped with compasses, accelerometers, and rate gyros so that measurements can be corrected and adjusted to a fixed reference frame.
Both buoys are typically equipped to measure wave characteristics, aerosol particle size, relative humidity, air temperature, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, and H2O and CO2 concentrations. Additionally, ASIS records ocean currents, and EASI monitors upper ocean temperature with an array of thermometers attached to it's mooring line.
ASIS is a spar platform which heaves with wave periods greater than eight seconds and remains stable for waves with shorter periods. The shorter waves are measured using an array of capacitance wave wires which sense surface elevation. EASI is a surface follower. Heave is tilt-corrected and double integrated to produce sea surface elevation, while pitch and roll are integrated to produce a record of sea-surface slopes.
Both buoys are typically equipped to measure wave characteristics, aerosol particle size, relative humidity, air temperature, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, and H2O and CO2 concentrations. Additionally, ASIS records ocean currents, and EASI monitors upper ocean temperature with an array of thermometers attached to it's mooring line.
ASIS is a spar platform which heaves with wave periods greater than eight seconds and remains stable for waves with shorter periods. The shorter waves are measured using an array of capacitance wave wires which sense surface elevation. EASI is a surface follower. Heave is tilt-corrected and double integrated to produce sea surface elevation, while pitch and roll are integrated to produce a record of sea-surface slopes.
ASIS during the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange experiment
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EASI during the Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific experiment
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