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The Coastal Zone

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Air-Sea Exchange: Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics

Part of the book series: Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Library ((ATSL,volume 20))

Abstract

The coastal zone is of considerable practical importance since it is a region of intensive human activity and rich in biological activity, compared to the open ocean. At the same time, the spatial variation of the atmospheric surface flow and the surface wave field are complex and both are often in nonequilbrium. Formulations of surface stress must include the influence of developing wave state and shoaling (Section 3). Growing waves occur with offshore flow and with time-varying wind fields, often induced by diurnal variation of the heat flux discontinuity at the coastal interface (Section 5). Current formulations of the surface flux may perform poorly in developing internal boundary layers in offshore flow (Section 4). Difficulties with formulation of surface fluxes in the coastal zone is a major topic of this chapter (Sections 2–3). Offshore flow must adjust to smaller surface roughness and different surface heat flux over the sea. The modelling problem is particularly difficult with offshore flow of warm air over a cool water surface (Section 4). The development of stratus and other cloud regimes in the coastal zone is beyond the scope of this survey. This chapter will assume familiarity with previous reviews found in Donelan (1990) and Geernaert (1990).

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  1. College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Larry Mahrt

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  1. National Environmental Research Institute, Roskilde, Denmark

    G. L. Geernaert

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Mahrt, L. (1999). The Coastal Zone. In: Geernaert, G.L. (eds) Air-Sea Exchange: Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics. Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Library, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9291-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9291-8_10

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