Enthalpy Flux in Extreme Winds and the Roles of Sensible, Latent and Spray Heat Transfer Processes

This project has been undertaken in the wind-wave facility at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami. Air-Sea Interaction Saltwater Tank - ASIST. ASIST httpwww.rsmas.miami.edugroupsasist has a working section of 1 m x 1 m x 15 m. The water depth can be selected up to 0.5 m and at this maximum depth the centerline wind speed can be selected between 0 and 30 ms equivalent to greater than 100 knots at 10 m height. At this maximum speed wave breaking is intense and the tops of the wave crests are blown into spume. The calorimetric use of the tank over the full range of wind speeds provides accurate estimates of the surface heat transfer. The approach is to heat or cool the water using built in heat exchangers by 2 to 5 C abovebelow the air temperature and observe the coolingheating rate of the water body with 4 precision thermistors placed upstream and downstream in both air and water.