Presenter: Samantha Ballard (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science)

Description:
The 2021 Coastal Land Air Sea Interaction (CLASI) field campaign was conducted from June-October, 2021 in Monterey Bay, CA, to explore coastal wind conditions. CLASI’s multi-year field experiments involve a unique variety of remote sensing (SAR and other satellite imagery, land-based radar, UAS) and in situ (buoy, aircraft, and tower) instrumentation. A primary goal of the field experiments is to utilize the combination of remote sensed and in situ measurements to improve the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) model boundary layer forecasts, particularly wind and waves, in coastal regions such as Monterey Bay. One can envision this combination of remote sensing observations, in situ measurements, and modeling as a 4-dimensional land, air, and sea monitoring system. Hundreds of SAR images, acquired by the Center for Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) during CLASI, show dynamic spatially varying air-sea phenomena within Monterey Bay. These features include atmospheric gravity waves, internal waves, sea breeze circulation, surface slicks, wind shadowing, wind jets, upwelling regions, wind streaks, atmospheric and ocean fronts. UAS and in situ measurements (from buoys, etc.), deployed by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and partner institutions, explored similar features over various time scales from June-October 2021. Collocated SAR-derived, UAS, and in situ buoy wind measurements are analyzed to explore highly variable air-sea momentum transfer in the coastal environment for improved understanding of complex boundary layer phenomenon and on-shore wind-dominated conditions for “coast aware” LES and COAMPS modeling.