Impact of Sea Spray and Sea Surface Roughness on the Upper Ocean Response to Super Typhoon Haitang (2005)

A coupled ocean-wave-sea spray model system is used to investigate the impacts of sea spray and sea surface roughness on the response of the upper ocean to the passage of the Super Typhoon Haitang. Sea spray-mediated heat and momentum fluxes are derived from an improved version of Fairall's heat fluxes formulation and Andreas's sea spray-mediated momentum flux models. For winds ranging from low to extremely high speeds, a new parameterization scheme for the sea surface roughness is developed, in which the effects of wave state and sea spray are introduced. In this formulation, the drag coefficient has minimal values over the right quadrant of the typhoon track, along which the typhoon-generated waves are longer, smoother, and older, compared to other quadrants. Using traditional interfacial air-sea turbulent (sensible, latent, and momentum) fluxes, the sea surface cooling response to Typhoon Haitang is overestimated by 1 degrees C, which can be compensated by the effects of sea spray and ocean waves on the right side of the storm. Inclusion of sea spray- mediated turbulent fluxes and sea surface roughness, modulated by ocean waves, gives enhanced cooling along the left edges of the cooling area by 0.2 degrees C, consistent with the upper ocean temperature observations.

Automated summary

A coupled ocean-wave-sea spray model system was utilized to investigate the impacts of sea spray and sea surface roughness on the upper ocean response to Super Typhoon Haitang. The study found that the effects of sea spray and sea surface roughness on the right side of the storm can compensate for the overestimation of sea surface cooling response, leading to enhanced cooling along the left edges of the cooling area.