Ocean Coupling to Topographically-Enhanced Atmospheric Flow

The long-term goal of this project is to understand and predict oceanic and atmospheric processes in coastal areas where winds are topographically steered and strengthened. The proposed work aims to probe details of the interaction of mountainous island terrain with synoptic and intra-seasonal disturbances, and the associated ocean response and feedback. The research questions include the following 1 How do intra-seasonal and synoptic disturbances combine to generate spatialtemporal variability of the ocean and atmosphere on small time and space e.g., operational scales 2 How do terrain effects influence local precipitation and wind patterns during atmospheric episodes 3 How do warm wake waters surrounding islands impact the atmosphere during synoptic and intra-seasonal events and 4 What is the evolution of atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers over the course of atmospheric passages, and what role do wind orientation and terrain play