The Near-Surface Layer of the Ocean: Structure, Dynamics and Applications (Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Library Book 31)

the Near-surface Layer Of The Ocean Provides A Comprehensive Account Of The Structure And Dynamics Of This Important Component Of The Ocean. The Book Develops The Relevant Physics And Thermodynamics In Depth. Detailed Treatment Is Given To The Surface Microlayer, Upper-ocean Turbulence, Fine Thermohaline Structure, Coherent Structures, High Wind-speed Regime, And To Practical Applications. Results Of Major Air-sea Interaction Experiments (including Those Obtained With The Participation Of The Authors) Are Used In The Analysis. Until the 1980s, a tacit agreement among many physical oceanographers was that nothing deserving attention could be found in the upper few meters of the ocean. The lack of adequete knowledge about the near-surface layer of the ocean was mainly due to the fact that the widely used oceanographic instruments (such as bathythermographs, CTDs, current meters, etc.) were practically useless in the upper few meters of the ocean. Interest in the ne- surface layer of the ocean rapidly increased along with the development of remote sensing techniques. The interpretation of ocean surface signals sensed from satellites demanded thorough knowledge of upper ocean processes and their connection to the ocean interior. Despite its accessibility to the investigator, the near-surface layer of the ocean is not a simple subject of experimental study. Random, sometimes huge, vertical motions of the ocean surface due to surface waves are a serious complication for collecting quality data close to the ocean surface. The supposedly minor problem of avoiding disturbances from ships’ wakes has frustrated several generations of oceanographers attempting to take reliable data from the upper few meters of the ocean. Important practical applications nevertheless demanded action, and as a result several pioneering works in the 1970s and 1980s laid the foundation for the new subject of oceanography – the near-surface layer of the ocean. The rationale for publishing a second edition of this monograph is that this area of research continues to show remarkable advancement. The new generation of synthetic aperture radar satellites provided unprecedented spatial resolution of the sea surface features. In addition, satellites to measure sea surface salinity have been launched. Computational fluid dynamic models open new opportunities in understanding the processes in the near-surface layer of the ocean and their visibility from space. Passive acoustic methods for monitoring short surface waves have significantly progressed. Estimation of the errors in satellite measurements of long-term global sea surface temperature trends due to processes in the near-surface layer of the ocean has become important for climate research. Due to growing applications of the results, it is anticipated that more students are going to be trained in this area of research. Therefore this second edition of the monograph is closer to a textbook format. "The Near-Surface Layer of the Ocean provides a comprehensive account of the structure and dynamics of this important component of the ocean. The book develops the relevant physics and thermodynamics in depth. Detailed treatment is given to the surface microlayer, upper-ocean turbulence, fine thermohaline structure, coherent structures, high wind-speed regime, and to practical applications. Results of major air-sea interaction experiments (including those obtained with the participation of the authors) are used in the analysis."--Résumé de l'éditeur "The Near-Surface Layer of the Ocean provides a comprehensive account of the structure and dynamics of this important component of the ocean. The book develops the relevant physics and thermodynamics in depth. Detailed treatment is given to the surface microlayer, upper-ocean turbulence, fine thermohaline structure, coherent structures, high wind-speed regime, and to practical applications. Results of major air-sea interaction experiments (including those obtained with the participation of the authors) are used in the analysis."--BOOK JACKET