Air-Sea Interaction Monitoring at the Offshore Platform

The paper presents some results of the experiment CAPMOS'05 performed at an offshore oceanographic platform in the Black Sea during June 2-20, 2005. The experiment was aimed at air-sea coupling investigations by means of direct and remote measurements with radiometers and microwave radar. A specialized research platform managed by the Marine Hydrophysical Institute is located on the shelf slope approximately 600 m to the south of Crimea coast, Ukraine. Spectral parameters of wind and waves were estimated from direct and remote measurements. Comparison of radar and radiometric data shows satisfactory agreement. Parameters of sea and atmospheric turbulence were measured while the temperature front passed the platform. It is demonstrated that the front intensified the turbulence in the air and in the water boundary layers and significantly increased energy flux across the water-air interface.