TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS ABOVE AN 

 AIR-WATER INTERFACE 



Noel E. J. Boston 

 Assistant Professor, Naval Postgraduate School 



James R. Ramzy 

 Commander, United States Navy- 

 Ernest T. Young, Jr. 

 Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy 



Theodore Green, III 

 Assistant Professor, Naval Postgraduate School 



ABSTRACT 



Measurements of waves and temperature fluctuations as close as 

 2.5 cm. above the waves were made at a small lake in Seaside, Cali- 

 fornia. Two fast response micro-bead thermistors were used. One 

 was mounted on a styrofoam float and the other at a fixed height. 



Data were collected on an Ampex CP-100 tape recorder using FM 

 electronics at a tape speed of 1-7/8 ips . 



The correlation between the fixed and float -mounted thermistor 

 decreased as the height of the fixed thermistor increased. Larger 

 temperature fluctuations were measured with the float -mounted ther- 

 mistor than with the fixed thermistor. The temperature fluctuations 

 measured by the fixed thermistor became smaller as its height was 

 increased. 



Signal analysis revealed only slight periodic components of 

 temperature fluctuation associated with the wave action. 



The large fluctuations measured by the float -mounted thermistor 

 are believed to be caused by the vertical motion of the thermistor 

 in a large vertical temperature gradient immediately above the sea 

 surface. More detailed instrumentation is needed to confirm this 

 hypothesis. 



INTRODUCTION 



The Department of Oceanography of the Naval Postgraduate School 

 last year began studies in certain aspects of air/sea interaction. 

 Specifically the studies are oriented towards achieving an under- 

 standing of the physical processes involving heat and momentum 

 transfers very near, at, and just below the sea surface. The object 

 of this research is to see if uninvolved parameterization of the 

 temperature and velocity fields above and/or below the sea surface 



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