Chapter 2: SEA SURFACE MICROLAYER
these sublayers, on gravity and capillary waves and surface films. We will
consider many of these factors in detail throughout this chapter.
Section 2.1 describes the phenomenology of the viscous, thermal, and
diffusion sublayers at the waterside of the air-sea interface. Intimately linked
to the physical processes are the complex chemical, photochemical, and
biological metamorphoses that take place in the ocean microlayer. The
physics of the microlayer, and even the regime of air-sea exchanges, depend
on the organics and chemical composition of surface films, and, to some
extent, on the sea surface microlayer ecosystem.
The physics of the microlayer is discussed in detail in Section 2.2.
Renewal and boundary layer models of the aqueous molecular sublayers are
introduced in Section 2.3. The renewal model results in a coupled set of
parameterizations describing the surface wind drift current, cool skin, and
interfacial gas transfer velocity. In Section 2.4, we discuss the effect of solar
radiation absorption on molecular sublayers. Section 2.5 is devoted to the
effect of precipitation on the microlayer.
69
Figure 2-1. Schematic representation of the vertical structure of physical processes related to
the sea surface microlayer (Courtesy of Peter Schl ssel, private communication).
ü
these sublayers, on gravity and capillary waves and surface films. We will
consider many of these factors in detail throughout this chapter.
Section 2.1 describes the phenomenology of the viscous, thermal, and
diffusion sublayers at the waterside of the air-sea interface. Intimately linked
to the physical processes are the complex chemical, photochemical, and
biological metamorphoses that take place in the ocean microlayer. The
physics of the microlayer, and even the regime of air-sea exchanges, depend
on the organics and chemical composition of surface films, and, to some
extent, on the sea surface microlayer ecosystem.
The physics of the microlayer is discussed in detail in Section 2.2.
Renewal and boundary layer models of the aqueous molecular sublayers are
introduced in Section 2.3. The renewal model results in a coupled set of
parameterizations describing the surface wind drift current, cool skin, and
interfacial gas transfer velocity. In Section 2.4, we discuss the effect of solar
radiation absorption on molecular sublayers. Section 2.5 is devoted to the
effect of precipitation on the microlayer.
69
Figure 2-1. Schematic representation of the vertical structure of physical processes related to
the sea surface microlayer (Courtesy of Peter Schl ssel, private communication).
ü