Oceanic microwave remote sensing provides the data necessary for the estimation of significant geophysical parameters such as the near-surface vector wind. To obtain accurate estimates, a precise understanding of the measurements is critical. This work clarifies and quantifies specific uncertainties in the scattered power measured by an active radar instrument. While there are many sources of uncertainty in remote sensing measurements, this work concentrates on three significant, yet largely unstudied effects. With a theoretical derivation of the backscatter from an ocean-like surface, results from this dissertation demonstrate that the backscatter decays with surface roughness with two distinct modes of behavior, affected by the size of the footprint. A technique is developed and scatterometer data analyzed to quantify the variability of spaceborne backscatter measurements for given wind conditions; the impact on wind retrieval is described in terms of bias and the Cramer-Rao lower bound. The probability density function of modified periodogram averages (a spectral estimation technique) is derived in generality and for the specific case of power estimates made by the NASA scatterometer. The impact on wind retrieval is quantified.

Tropical cyclones (TCs) often change intensity as they move over mesoscale oceanic features, as a function of the oceanic mixed layer (OML) thermal response (cooling) to the storm's wind stress. For example, observational evidence indicates that TCs in the Gulf of Mexico rapidly weaken over cyclonic cold core eddies (CCEs) where the cooling response is enhanced, and they rapidly intensify over anticyclonic warm features such as the Loop Current (LC) and Warm Core Eddies (WCEs) where OML cooling is reduced. Understanding this contrasting thermal response has important implications for oceanic feedback to TCs' intensity in forecasting models. Based on numerical experimentation and data acquired during hurricanes Katrina and Rita, this dissertation delineates the contrasting velocity and thermal response to TCs in mesoscale oceanic eddies. Observational evidence and model results indicate that, during the forced stage, the wind-driven horizontal current divergence under the storm's eye is affected by the underlying geostrophic circulation. Upwelling (downwelling) regimes develop when the wind stress vector is with (against) the geostrophic OML velocity vector. During the relaxation stage, background geostrophic circulations modulate vertical dispersion of OML near-inertial energy. The near-inertial velocity response is subsequently shifted toward more sub-inertial frequencies inside WCEs, where rapid vertical dispersion prevents accumulation of kinetic energy in the OML that reduces vertical shears and layer cooling. By contrast, near-inertial oscillations are vertically trapped in OMLs inside CCEs that increases vertical shears and entrainment. Estimates of downward vertical radiation of near-inertial wave energies were significantly stronger in the LC bulge (12.1X10 super -2 W m super -2) compared to that in CCEs (1.8X10 super -2 W m super -2). The rotational and translation properties of the geostrophic eddies have an important impact on the internal wave wake produced by TCs. More near-inertial kinetic energy is horizontally trapped in more rapidly rotating eddies. This response enhances vertical shear development and mixing. Moreover, the upper ocean temperature anomaly and near-inertial oscillations induced by TCs are transported by the westward-propagating geostrophic eddies. From a broader perspective, coupled models must capture oceanic features to reproduce the differentiated TC-induced OML cooling to improve intensity forecasting.

To understand and to predict the weather and climate, numerical models are important tools and it is crucial that the controlling processes are described correctly. Since 70% of the global surface is covered with water the description how the ocean and atmosphere communicates has a considerable impact. The ocean–atmosphere exchange occurs through transport of momentum (friction) and heat, governed by turbulent eddies. The sea surface is also an important source of turbulence in both directions. The scales of the turbulent eddies cannot be resolved in ocean and climate models. Therefore, the turbulent exchanges have to be related to mean variables, such as wind speed and temperature differences. By using measurements, new methods to describe the air–sea exchange during two specific processes were developed. These processes are the so-called UVCN-regime (Unstable Very Close to Neutral stratification) and swell, i.e. waves which are not produced by the local wind. These processes were included in an ocean model and in a regional atmospheric climate model and the impact was investigated. The UVCN-regime enhances the heat transport significantly during the autumn and winter months in the ocean model. This results in a shallower well-mixed surface layer in the ocean. Wind-following swell reduces the surface friction, which is very important for the atmosphere. Some secondary effects in the climate model are reduced low-level cloud cover and reduced precipitation by more than 10% over sea areas. Locally and for short periods the impact is large. It is important to include the UVCN-regime and the swell impact in models, to make simulations more reliable.

Ocean wind waves represent the atmosphere-ocean boundary, playing a central role in the air-sea exchanging processes. Heat, mass and momentum are transferred across this boundary, with waves mediating the exchange of principally the momentum between the winds and the ocean surface. During the generation process waves are called wind sea. When they leave their generation area or outrun their generating wind they are called swell. The wave field can be said to be dominated either by wind sea or swell. Depending on the wave regime the momentum and energy exchanging processes and the degree of coupling between the waves and the wind is different. During the growing process, waves act as a drag on the surface wind and the momentum flux is directed downward. When swell dominates the wave field a reverse momentum flux mechanism occurs triggered by swell waves traveling considerably faster than the surface winds. The momentum transfer is now directed from the waves to the atmosphere, and takes place because swell waves perform work on the atmosphere as part of their attenuation process. This upward momentum transfer has an impact on the lower atmosphere dynamics, and on the overall turbulence structure of the boundary layer. A detailed qualitative climatology of the global wind sea and swell fields from wave reanalysis data, is presented, revealing a very strong swell dominance of the World Ocean. The areas of larger potential impact of swell on the atmosphere, from a climatological point of view, are also studied. A model that reproduces the swell impact on the lower atmosphere dynamics, conceptually based on the energy transfer from the waves to the atmosphere, is presented – a  new parameterization for the wave-induced stress is also proposed. The model results are compared with field observations. A modeling simulation, using a coupled wave-atmosphere model system, is used to study the impact of swell in a regional climate model, by using different formulations on how to introduce the wave state effect in the modeling system. / Gränsen mellan hav och atmosfär beskrivs av vågor, dessa spelar en central roll i utbytesprocesser mellan hav och atmosfär. Värme, massa och rörelsemängd överförs vid ytan och utbytet av rörelsemängd mellan vind och havsyta styrs i stor utsträckning av vågorna. Då vågor skapas kallas de för vinddrivna vågor. När vågorna sedan lämnar området där de genererats eller rör sig fortare än den vind som genererat dem kallas de dyning. Ett vågfält kan sägas vara dominerat av antingen vinddrivna vågor eller dyningsvågor. Beroende på vilken vågregim som råder så är kopplingen mellan vågor och vind olika och därmed också utbytesprocesserna för rörelsemängd och energi. Då vågorna genereras fungerar de som en bromsande kraft för vinden och impulsutbytet är nedåtriktat. När dyning dominerar vågfältet inträffar en mekanism för omvänt impulsutbyte som sätts igång av dyningsvågor som färdas avsevärt snabbare än vinden. Rörelsemängd överförs då från vågorna till atmosfären, eftersom dyningsvågorna utför arbete på atmosfären då de dämpas. Den uppåtriktade transporten av rörelsemängd har en stor effekt på dynamiken och turbulensstrukturen i lägre delen av atmosfären. En detaljerad kvalitativ klimatologi av globala vågfält (vinddrivna och dyning) från återanalysdata presenteras och visar att dyning dominerar vågfältet på världshaven. Områden där man kan förvänta sig störst effekt av dyning på atmosfären har identifierats. En konceptuellt baserad modell som reproducerar effekten av dyning på dynamiken i lägre delen av atmosfären presenteras. Modellen styrs av överföring av energi från vågor till atmosfären. I modellen föreslås även en ny parameterisering för våginducerad kraft på havsytan. Modellresultaten är utvärderade mot fältmätningar. En regional klimatmodell, med ett kopplat våg-atmosfärssystem, har använts för att studera den långtida effekten av dyning vid klimatsimulering. Olika formuleringar för beskrivningen av vågornas effekt på atmosfären har använts, beroende på om vinddrivna vågor eller dyning dominerar vågfältet.

Atmospheric models are strongly dependent on the turbulent exchange of momentum, sensible heat and moisture (latent heat) at the surface. Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface and understanding the processes that control air-sea exchange is of great importance in order to predict weather and climate. In the atmosphere, for instance, hurricane development, cyclone intensity and track depend on these processes. Ocean waves constitute an obvious example of air-sea interaction and can cause the air-flow over sea to depend on surface conditions in uniquely different ways compared to boundary layers over land. When waves are generated by wind they are called wind sea or growing sea, and when they leave their generation area or propagate faster than the generating wind they are called swell. The air-sea exchange is mediated by turbulent eddies occurring on many different scales. Field measurements and high-resolution turbulence resolving numerical simulations have here been used to study these processes. The standard method to measure turbulent fluxes is the eddy covariance method. A spatial separation is often used between instruments when measuring scalar flux; this causes an error which was investigated for the first time over sea. The error is typically smaller over ocean than over land, possibly indicating changes in turbulence structure over sea. Established and extended analysis methods to determine the dominant scales of momentum transfer was used to interpret how reduced drag and sometimes net upward momentum flux can persist in the boundary layer indirectly affected by swell. A changed turbulence structure with increased turbulence length scales and more effective mixing was found for swell. A study, using a coupled wave-atmosphere regional climate model, gave a first indication on what impact wave mixing have on atmosphere and wave parameters. Near surface wind speed and wind gradients was affected especially for shallow boundary layers, which typically increased in height from the introduced wave-mixing. A large impact may be expected in regions of the world with predominant swell. The impact of swell waves on air-sea exchange and mixing should be taken into account to develop more reliable coupled Earth system models.

No description available.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar processos de interação ar-mar na porção leste da América do Sul e Oceano Atlântico adjacente ao longo do Holoceno (últimos 12.000 anos). Para isso, os efeitos de forçantes naturais sobre a variabilidade climática foram investigados em três escalas temporais: (i) milenar-centenária: efeitos de pulsos de degelo no Oceano Atlântico, e de variações nas forçantes solar e orbital sobre o modo dipolar subtropical do Atlântico sul e consequências sobre a precipitação, durante o Holoceno; (ii) cenário médio: efeitos de diferenças na forçante orbital em relação ao clima presente sobre a precipitação média no continente, durante o Holoceno médio (6.000 anos atrás), por meio de uma compilação de dados paleoclimáticos inédita para esse período, e comparação com resultados de simulações numéricas; (iii) multidecadal: efeitos de variações na forçante vulcânica ao longo do último milênio (850 a 1850 da Era Comum) sobre a variabilidade do modo equatorial do Atlântico e consequências sobre a precipitação na América do Sul. Os resultados mostraram efeitos dos eventos de rápido resfriamento do Hemisfério norte na variabilidade do modo dipolar subtropical do Atlântico sul, com consequências principalmente sobre a precipitação do Nordeste do Brasil. O cenário médio para o Holoceno médio apontou déficit hídrico na porção leste da América do Sul durante esse período, relacionado com menor quantidade de insolação de verão recebida pelo Hemisfério sul. A dificuldade na coleta de testemunhos marinhos foi identificada como um dos principais limitantes em estudos paleoclimáticos. O vulcanismo explosivo observado no último milênio resfriou a região tropical no ano da erupção, e enfraqueceu a relação entre a precipitação na porção leste da América do Sul e o modo equatorial do Atlântico. Finalmente, a presente tese demonstrou, por meio de comparações dados-modelo, a importância do Oceano Atlântico no regimes de chuva da América do Sul em diversas escalas temporais para climas onde a forçante antropogênica era pouco significativa. 195 pp. / This work investigates the air-sea interaction processes in eastern South America and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean for the Holocene (past 12,000 years). The effects of the natural forcings on climate variability were investigated in three time-scales: (i) millennial-to-centennial: effects of Atlantic meltwater pulses and changes in the solar and orbital forcings on the South Atlantic subtropical dipole, and rainfall impacts during the Holocene; (ii) mid-Holocene scenario: effects of changes in the orbital forcing, in comparison to the present-day conditions, on mean precipitation over the continent, during the mid-Holocene (6,000 years ago). This was achieved through an unpublished multiproxy compilation and comparison with numerical experiments; (iii) multidecadal: effects of changes in the volcanic forcing along the past millennium (850 to 1850 Common Era) on the variability of the Atlantic equatorial mode and consequences on precipitation over South America. Results show effects of the Northern Hemisphere cooling events on the variability of the South Atlantic subtropical dipole, with impacts mainly over Northeastern Brazil\'s rainfall. The mid-Holocene scenario results indicate a water deficit in eastern South America during this period related to a decrease in Southern Hemisphere summer insolation. The difficulty in marine cores sampling is identified as one of the main problems in current paleoclimate studies. The explosive volcanism observed during the past millennium cooled the tropical regions at the year of the volcanic eruption, and weakened the relation between the precipitation in eastern South America and the Atlantic equatorial mode. This thesis shows through data-model approaches the importance of the Atlantic Ocean on South America precipitation regimes in the climate timescales where the anthropogenic forcing was not so relevant. 195 pp.

Este trabalho investiga a evolução espacial da Camada Limite Planetária (CLP) na região do Canal de São Sebastião (CSS) - SP, uma das áreas mais impactadas por derramamentos acidentais de óleo das regiões sul e sudeste do Brasil. Para tanto, foi feito levantamento da topografia e cobertura do solo para uma região de 12 km x 12 km no CSS com o intuito de levantar parâmetros essenciais para a estimativa do balanço de energia sobre o continente. Foram utilizados dados médios horários de vento, temperatura e umidade específica do ar coletados pelo Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), e temperatura do oceano obtida de um fundeio ancorado próximo ao centro do canal. Os dados médios foram utilizados para estimar o balanço de energia sobre o continente, utilizando o método proposto por Deardorff (1978), e sobre o oceano através de parametrização do tipo bulk para as condições de verão e inverno. Com os resultados obtidos foi determinada a altura da CLP para ambas as superfícies e, em seguida, aplicada uma média móvel com advecção destas alturas no sentido do vento zonal - a componente mais intensa do vento ao longo do dia segundo análise de dados para ambas estações estudadas - para investigar sua evolução espacial ao longo de duas linhas de latitude: uma interceptando o CEBIMar e outra, mais ao sul, numa região composta por água e continente em igual proporção. / This work investigates the spatial evolution of the Planetary Boundary Layer in the region of São Sebastião Channel (SSC) - SP, one of the most impacted area by accidental oil spilling in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil. It was performed a topographic and soil cover survey for a region of 12 km x 12 km in the SSC region in order to obtain the essential parameters to estimate the energy balance over the continent. Hourly averaged data of wind, air temperature and specific humidity collected by the Marine Biologic Center (CEBIMar) and ocean temperature obtained by a mooring near the center of the channel were used in this work to estimate the energy balance over the continent using the routine proposed by Deardorff (1978) and over the ocean using bulk parameterizations for winter and summer conditions. The obtained results were used to determine the PBL height for both surfaces. To investigate the PBL spatial evolution in the transition continent-water-continent it was applied a movable average with advection of the PBL height in the zonal wind direction the wind component more intense during winter and summer, according to the data analysis- to investigate the PBL spatial evolution through two latitude lines: one intercepting the CEBIMar and another in an region southward with equal water and continent proportion.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar processos de interação ar-mar na porção leste da América do Sul e Oceano Atlântico adjacente ao longo do Holoceno (últimos 12.000 anos). Para isso, os efeitos de forçantes naturais sobre a variabilidade climática foram investigados em três escalas temporais: (i) milenar-centenária: efeitos de pulsos de degelo no Oceano Atlântico, e de variações nas forçantes solar e orbital sobre o modo dipolar subtropical do Atlântico sul e consequências sobre a precipitação, durante o Holoceno; (ii) cenário médio: efeitos de diferenças na forçante orbital em relação ao clima presente sobre a precipitação média no continente, durante o Holoceno médio (6.000 anos atrás), por meio de uma compilação de dados paleoclimáticos inédita para esse período, e comparação com resultados de simulações numéricas; (iii) multidecadal: efeitos de variações na forçante vulcânica ao longo do último milênio (850 a 1850 da Era Comum) sobre a variabilidade do modo equatorial do Atlântico e consequências sobre a precipitação na América do Sul. Os resultados mostraram efeitos dos eventos de rápido resfriamento do Hemisfério norte na variabilidade do modo dipolar subtropical do Atlântico sul, com consequências principalmente sobre a precipitação do Nordeste do Brasil. O cenário médio para o Holoceno médio apontou déficit hídrico na porção leste da América do Sul durante esse período, relacionado com menor quantidade de insolação de verão recebida pelo Hemisfério sul. A dificuldade na coleta de testemunhos marinhos foi identificada como um dos principais limitantes em estudos paleoclimáticos. O vulcanismo explosivo observado no último milênio resfriou a região tropical no ano da erupção, e enfraqueceu a relação entre a precipitação na porção leste da América do Sul e o modo equatorial do Atlântico. Finalmente, a presente tese demonstrou, por meio de comparações dados-modelo, a importância do Oceano Atlântico no regimes de chuva da América do Sul em diversas escalas temporais para climas onde a forçante antropogênica era pouco significativa. 195 pp. / This work investigates the air-sea interaction processes in eastern South America and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean for the Holocene (past 12,000 years). The effects of the natural forcings on climate variability were investigated in three time-scales: (i) millennial-to-centennial: effects of Atlantic meltwater pulses and changes in the solar and orbital forcings on the South Atlantic subtropical dipole, and rainfall impacts during the Holocene; (ii) mid-Holocene scenario: effects of changes in the orbital forcing, in comparison to the present-day conditions, on mean precipitation over the continent, during the mid-Holocene (6,000 years ago). This was achieved through an unpublished multiproxy compilation and comparison with numerical experiments; (iii) multidecadal: effects of changes in the volcanic forcing along the past millennium (850 to 1850 Common Era) on the variability of the Atlantic equatorial mode and consequences on precipitation over South America. Results show effects of the Northern Hemisphere cooling events on the variability of the South Atlantic subtropical dipole, with impacts mainly over Northeastern Brazil\'s rainfall. The mid-Holocene scenario results indicate a water deficit in eastern South America during this period related to a decrease in Southern Hemisphere summer insolation. The difficulty in marine cores sampling is identified as one of the main problems in current paleoclimate studies. The explosive volcanism observed during the past millennium cooled the tropical regions at the year of the volcanic eruption, and weakened the relation between the precipitation in eastern South America and the Atlantic equatorial mode. This thesis shows through data-model approaches the importance of the Atlantic Ocean on South America precipitation regimes in the climate timescales where the anthropogenic forcing was not so relevant. 195 pp.

Este trabalho investiga a evolução espacial da Camada Limite Planetária (CLP) na região do Canal de São Sebastião (CSS) - SP, uma das áreas mais impactadas por derramamentos acidentais de óleo das regiões sul e sudeste do Brasil. Para tanto, foi feito levantamento da topografia e cobertura do solo para uma região de 12 km x 12 km no CSS com o intuito de levantar parâmetros essenciais para a estimativa do balanço de energia sobre o continente. Foram utilizados dados médios horários de vento, temperatura e umidade específica do ar coletados pelo Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), e temperatura do oceano obtida de um fundeio ancorado próximo ao centro do canal. Os dados médios foram utilizados para estimar o balanço de energia sobre o continente, utilizando o método proposto por Deardorff (1978), e sobre o oceano através de parametrização do tipo bulk para as condições de verão e inverno. Com os resultados obtidos foi determinada a altura da CLP para ambas as superfícies e, em seguida, aplicada uma média móvel com advecção destas alturas no sentido do vento zonal - a componente mais intensa do vento ao longo do dia segundo análise de dados para ambas estações estudadas - para investigar sua evolução espacial ao longo de duas linhas de latitude: uma interceptando o CEBIMar e outra, mais ao sul, numa região composta por água e continente em igual proporção. / This work investigates the spatial evolution of the Planetary Boundary Layer in the region of São Sebastião Channel (SSC) - SP, one of the most impacted area by accidental oil spilling in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil. It was performed a topographic and soil cover survey for a region of 12 km x 12 km in the SSC region in order to obtain the essential parameters to estimate the energy balance over the continent. Hourly averaged data of wind, air temperature and specific humidity collected by the Marine Biologic Center (CEBIMar) and ocean temperature obtained by a mooring near the center of the channel were used in this work to estimate the energy balance over the continent using the routine proposed by Deardorff (1978) and over the ocean using bulk parameterizations for winter and summer conditions. The obtained results were used to determine the PBL height for both surfaces. To investigate the PBL spatial evolution in the transition continent-water-continent it was applied a movable average with advection of the PBL height in the zonal wind direction the wind component more intense during winter and summer, according to the data analysis- to investigate the PBL spatial evolution through two latitude lines: one intercepting the CEBIMar and another in an region southward with equal water and continent proportion.