Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Profiles Of Ocean Surface Heating (Posh): A New Model Of Upper Ocean Diurnal Warming, Chelle L. Gentemann, Peter J. Minnett, Brian Ward

CCPO Publications

Shipboard radiometric measurements of diurnal warming at the ocean surface and profiles through the diurnal thermocline were utilized to assess the temporal and vertical variability and to develop a new physics-based model of near-surface warming. The measurements and modeled diurnal warming were compared, with the goal of comprehensively evaluating differences between the data and model results. On the basis of these results, the diurnal model was refined while attempting to maintain agreement with the measurements. Simplified bulk models commonly do not provide information on the vertical structure within the warm layer, but this new model predicts the vertical temperature profile …