Generation mechanisms of convectively induced internal gravity waves in a three-dimensional framework

The generation mechanisms of convective gravity waves in the stratosphere are investigated in a three-dimensional framework by conducting numerical simulations of four ideal storms under different environmental conditions: one un-sheared and three constant low-level sheared basic-state winds with the depth of the shear layer of 6 km and the surface wind speeds (U_s) of 8, 18, and 28 m s^?1, using the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model. The storms simulated under the un-sheared (U_s = 0 m s^?1), weakly sheared (U_s = 8 and 18ms^?1), and strongly sheared (U_s = 28ms^?1) basicstate winds are classified into single-cell, multicell, and supercell storms, respectively. For each storm, the wave perturbations in a control simulation, including nonlinearity and microphysical processes, are compared with those in quasi-linear dry simulations forced by diabatic forcing and nonlinear forcing that are obtained from the control simulation. The gravity waves generated by the two forcing terms in the quasi-linear dry simulations are out of phase with each other for all of the storms. The gravity waves in the control simulation are represented by a linear sum of the wave perturbations generated by the nonlinear forcing and diabatic forcing. This result is consistent with the results of previous studies in a two-dimensional framework. This implies that both forcing mechanisms are important for generating the convective gravity waves in the three-dimensional framework as well. The characteristics of the three-dimensional gravity waves in the stratosphere were determined by the spectral combination of the forcing terms and the wave-filtering and resonance factor that is determined from the basic-state wind and stability as well as the vertical structure of the forcing.     

Impact of waves on air-sea exchange of sensible heat and momentum

The impact of sea waves on sensible heat and momentum fluxes is described. The approach is based on the conservation of heat and momentum in the marine atmospheric surface layer. The experimental fact that the drag coefficient above the sea increases considerably with increasing wind speed, while the exchange coefficient for sensible heat (Stanton number) remains virtually independent of wind speed, is explained by a different balance of the turbulent and the wave-induced parts in the total fluxes of momentum and sensible heat.Organised motions induced by waves support the wave-induced stress which dominates the surface momentum flux. These organised motions do not contribute to the vertical flux of heat. The heat flux above waves is determined, in part, by the influence of waves upon the turbulence diffusivity.The turbulence diffusivity is altered by waves in an indirect way. The wave-induced stress dominates the surface flux and decays rapidly with height. Therefore the turbulent stress above waves is no longer constant with height. That changes the balance of the turbulent kinetic energy and of the dissipation rate and, hence the diffusivity.The dependence of the exchange coefficient for heat on wind speed is usually parameterized in terms of a constant Stanton number. However, an increase of the exchange coefficient with wind speed is not ruled out by field measurements and could be parametrized in terms of a constant temperature roughness length. Because of the large scatter, field data do not allow us to establish the actual dependence. The exchange coefficient for sensible heat, calculated from the model, is virtually independent of wind speed in the range of 3–10 ms^-1. For wind speeds above 10 ms^-1 an increase of 10% is obtained, which is smaller than that following from the constant roughness length parameterization.The investigation was in part supported by the Netherlands Geosciences Foundation (GOA) with financial aid from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).     

On the deep‐water fetch laws for wind‐generated surface gravity waves

Abstract

With the object of providing an accurate set of open‐sea wave spectra in a variety of conditions, we deployed, in conjunction with CASP, an array of 9 wave buoys (3 directional, 6 non‐directional) along a 30‐km line offshore from Martinique Beach, N.S. A large set of high‐quality wave spectra was collected in conjunction with extensive meteorological information. The data set is unique in the sense that a large onshore swell component was normally present.

Offshore‐wind cases for three windows: ±5°, ±15° and ±30° with respect to the shore normal, have been considered. Wind speed was found to be a strong function of fetch, and attempts were made to allow for this in the analysis. Power‐law regressions have been produced of dimensionless sea energy, peak frequency and high‐frequency spectral level (the Kitaigorodskii “alpha” parameter) vs dimensionless fetch and wind speed (inverse wave age). The regressions are compared with earlier work: the Joint North Sea Waves Project (Jonswap) and the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) Lake Ontario study.

The comparisons indicate that dimensionless wave energies, peak frequencies and alpha values in this experiment are comparable with those from earlier experiments; in spite of different wind analysis methods, the CASP and CCIW fetch‐limited growth laws are consistent within the contexts of the two experiments. Differences among the estimated parameters are as large within the analyses of the three windows as they are among the three experiments we compare.     

Cross‐shore variations of near‐surface wind velocity and atmospheric turbulence at the land‐sea boundary during CASP

Abstract

Airborne measurements of mean wind velocity and turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer under wintertime conditions of cold offshore advection suggest that at a height of 50 m the mean wind speed increases with offshore distance by roughly 20% over a horizontal scale of order 10 km. Similarly, the vertical gust velocity and turbulent kinetic energy decay on scales of order 3.5 km by factors of 1.5 and 3.2, respectively. The scale of cross‐shore variations in the vertical fluxes of heat and downwind momentum is also 10 km, and the momentum flux is found to be roughly constant to 300 m, whereas the heat flux decreases with height. The stability parameter, z/L (where z = 50 m and L is the local Monin‐Obukhov length), is generally small over land but may reach order one over the warm ocean. The magnitude and horizontal length scales associated with the offshore variations in wind speed and turbulence are reasonably consistent with model results for a simple roughness change, but a more sophisticated model is required to interpret the combined effects of surface roughness and heat flux contrasts between land and sea.

Comparisons between aircraft and profile‐adjusted surface measurements of wind speed indicate that Doppler biases of 1–2 m s^?1 in the aircraft data caused by surface motions must be accounted for. In addition, the wind direction measurements of the Minimet anemometer buoy deployed in CASP are found to be in error by 25 ± 5°, possibly due to a misalignment of the anemometer vane. The vertical fluxes of heat and momentum show reasonably good agreement with surface estimates based on the Minimet data.     

On the mean and tidal currents in Hudson strait

Abstract

The vertical structures of the mean and tidal flows in Hudson Strait are described from moored current‐meter data collected during an 8‐week period in August to October of 1982. The residual flow in the strongly stratified waters off Quebec is directed along the Strait to the southeast, is highly baroclinic and is concentrated near shore (within an offshore length scale of approximately an internal Rossby radius). Maximum mean speeds of 0.3 m s^?1 were observed near‐surface (30 m). In the weakly stratified waters on the northern side of the Strait along Baffin Island the mean flow is northwestward. The maximum speeds are 0.1 m s^?1 near‐surface (30 m) and the current amplitudes decrease to 0.05 m s^?1 at 100 m. The mean southeastward transport is estimated to be 0.93 ±0.23 × 10⁶ m³ s^?1 with a northwestward transport of 0.82 ± 0.24 × 10⁶ m³ s^?1. Over most of the Strait the across‐channel residual currents are directed towards the Quebec shore with velocities ranging from 0.02 to 0.1 ms^?1. Current variability is dominated by the tides, the M₂ being the major tidal constituent. In the vicinity of the mooring the M₂ tide is primarily barotropic, progressive in nature, and has along‐channel current amplitudes varying across the Strait from 0.20 to 0.45 m s^?1. Observed differences in tidal sea‐level elevations across the Strait can be accounted for by the cross‐channel variations characteristic of Kelvin waves.     

Subtidal response of the Scotian shelf bottom pressure field to meteorological forcing

Abstract

Data collected during the Canadian Atlantic Storms Program (CASP) show subtidal variations in subsurface pressure (SSP) to be highly coherent throughout the Scotian Shelf region, and well correlated to fluctuations in the alongshelf component of wind stress (τ^y). Analysis using a frequency‐dependent multiple regression model verified that τ^y is the primary source of local forcing to the SSP field, although non‐locally generated variations in SSP are also important. The two components of local wind stress and a non‐local SSP term combine to explain over 90% of SSP variance on the Scotian Shelf.

Statistical results describing the response to τ^y change dramatically depending upon the inclusion of non‐local forcing. In a model including both types of forcing, the SSP response to local forcing behaves like the solution to a dynamical model forced by time‐dependent wind stress with sea‐level prescribed to zero at the eastern cross‐shelf boundary. Local τ^y forcing becomes more effective to the west and onshore, whereas the phase suggests propagation to the west. The importance of τ^y is reduced at higher frequencies. Describing SSP with a statistical model containing local forcing alone may lead to an incorrect interpretation of SSP dynamics, particularly in the synoptic band where the wind variance is greatest.

Energy originating from a non‐local source is most obvious at ω > 0.5 cpd and at locations on the eastern half of the shelf, but plays an important role at all sites and at all frequencies. These variations propagate to the west at speeds of 6.5 (ω < 0.2 cpd), 25–33 (0.2 cpd < ω < 0.5 cpd), and 12–17m s^?1 (ω > 0.5 cpd). The exponential decay scales at all frequencies are ～900 km in the direction of phase propagation. The non‐local response is consistent with theoretical estimates of first‐ and second‐mode shelf waves for this region and represents the most direct evidence of shelf wave activity on the Scotian Shelf to date.     

Thermals over the sea and gull flight behavior

The flight performance of Herring Gulls relative to specific atmosphere and ocean conditions over the western North Atlantic indicates that large groups of gulls are able, through cooperative flight maneuvers, to induce ascending convective flow (thermals) in which they make extended soaring flights. These group flights in gull-induced thermals are limited to winds of 0 to ~ 1 m s^?1 and to sea-minus-air temperature differences (δT) of ~3 to 6?C. As wind speed increases from ~ 2 to 5 m s^?1, thermals are naturally induced, and the minimum δT required for soaring is inversely related to wind speed. At higher winds (~5 to 13 ms^?1), the minimum positive δT and minimum wind speed required for thermal soaring are directly related, thus indicating an apparent maximum efficiency for the natural production of thermals at wind speeds of about 5 m s^?1 and δT of 1 to 2 ?C.     

Detection of a katabatic wind event with GPS meteorology measurements at Scott Base Antarctica

A katabatic wind event which dramatically affects the polar climate has been detected using GPS meteorology measurements. GPS-derived precipitable water vapor (GPS PWV) variability and its relation to a katabatic event at Scott Base station, Antarctica was investigated. The investigations using the data gathered from 21 to 30 November of 2002. They showed that the water vapor profile exhibited an irregular pattern with a maximum PWV of 7.38?mm (~6?mm on average). This event was strongly influenced by relative humidity than by wind speed activity. The dominant wind flow during this period was from the North to Northeast (blowing from the Ross Sea) with a mean speed of 3.79?ms^?1. The PWV increased when the temperature was between ?15 and ?11°C. During the katabatic event identified between 21:30 UT of 28 November and 18:40 UT on 29 November, the wind blew from the Southeast to South direction (from the Ross Ice Shelf) with a maximum speed of 10.92?ms^?1. The PWV increased ~1.0?mm (23%) from the mean value accompanied by severe wind had pronounced effect on GPS observations.     

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modelling of the Diurnal Variation of Flow in a Street Canyon

Urban surface and radiation processes are incorporated into a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the diurnal variation of flow in a street canyon with an aspect ratio of 1. The developed CFD model predicts surface and substrate temperatures of the roof, walls, and road. One-day simulations are performed with various ambient wind speeds of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 ms⁻¹, with the ambient wind perpendicular to the north–south oriented canyon. During the day, the largest maximum surface temperature for all surfaces is found at the road surface for an ambient wind speed of 3 ms⁻¹ (56.0°C). Two flow regimes are identified by the vortex configuration in the street canyon. Flow regime I is characterized by a primary vortex. Flow regime II is characterized by two counter-rotating vortices, which appears in the presence of strong downwind building-wall heating. Air temperature is relatively low near the downwind building wall in flow regime I and inside the upper vortex in flow regime II. In flow regime II, the upper vortex expands with increasing ambient wind speed, thus enlarging the extent of cool air within the canyon. The canyon wind speed in flow regime II is proportional to the ambient wind speed, but that in flow regime I is not. For weak ambient winds, the dependency of surface sensible heat flux on the ambient wind speed is found to play an essential role in determining the relationship between canyon wind speed and ambient wind speed.     

An intercomparison of two rawinsonde systems

Abstract

An intercomparison of the Väisälä MicroCora system used in the Automated Shipboard Aerological Program (ASAP) and the Atmospheric Environment Service upper‐air system (GMD/ADRES) was conducted in May‐June 1983. Thirty‐three paired ascents were made. The ASAP system dry‐bulb temperatures averaged 0.3°C warmer. For the lowest 100 mb, the dew‐point temperature difference (ASAP ‐ GMD/ADRES) was near ‐1°C whereas for the 780–500 mb layer, the difference was 1°C. The wind component mean differences averaged were small but with a 4 m s^?1 standard deviation.     

Impact of the Nocturnal Low-Level Jet and Orographic Waves on Turbulent Motions and Energy Fluxes in the Lower Atmospheric Boundary Layer

The nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ) and orographic (gravity) waves play an important role in the generation of turbulence and pollutant dispersion and can affect the energy production by wind turbines. Additionally, gravity waves have an influence on the local mixing and turbulence within the surface layer and the vertical flux of mass into the lower atmosphere. On 25 September 2017, during a field campaign, a persistent easterly LLJ and gravity waves were observed simultaneously in a coastal area in the north of France. We explore the variability of the wind speed, turbulent eddies, and turbulence kinetic energy in the time–frequency and space domain using an ultrasonic anemometer and a scanning wind lidar. The results reveal a significant enhancement of the turbulence-kinetic-energy dissipation (by?50%) due to gravity waves in the LLJ shear layer (below the jet core) during the period of wave propagation. Large magnitudes of zonal and vertical components of the shear stress (approximately 0.4 and 1.5 m² s^?2, respectively) are found during that period. Large eddies (scales of 110 to 280 m) matching the high-wind-speed regime are found to propagate the momentum downwards, which enhances the mass transport from the LLJ shear layer to the roughness layer. Furthermore, these large-scale eddies are associated with the crests while comparatively small-scale eddies are associated with the troughs of the gravity wave.

     

Measurements of bubble plumes and turbulence from a submarine

Abstract

An experiment using turbulence probes and an array of side‐scan and vertically pointing pencil beam sonars mounted on the U.S. submarine Dolphin was carried out to measure turbulence in near‐surface regions of acoustic scattering, in particular, those caused by subsurface bubbles produced by breaking wind waves. The dataset collected during winds of 5–9 m s^?1 reveals the banded patterns of bubbles associated with Langmuir circulation, even though no surface manifestations were visible.

A forward‐pointing side‐scan sonar determined the “age” of bubble clouds after their generation by breaking waves. There is enhanced turbulent dissipation in the bubble clouds, and the dissipation rate close to the surface exceeds that predicted using conventional calculations based on the law of the wall and buoyancy flux. The correspondence between bubbles and turbulence implies a horizontally patchy turbulent structure near the surface. Below the base of the bubble clouds the distance between turbulent patches increases and is much greater than that of the bubble clouds. The submarine provides an excellent platform for multi‐sonar near‐surface studies.     

Near‐bottom currents and sediment transport on the inner Scotian Shelf: Sea‐floor response to winter storms during CASP

Abstract

As part of the Canadian Atlantic Storms Program (CASP), near‐bottom current velocity, pressure, light transmission (as a measure of suspended sediment concentration) and water temperature were recorded using a variety of instruments deployed in water depths of 20 to 37 m on the inner Scotian Shelf, during February and March 1986. Detailed mapping of a 12‐km² area encompassing the instrument mooring sites revealed a variety of bottom types. These include sand and gravel (both forming ripples at various scales), cobble‐boulder lags, and bedrock, resulting in bottom roughness estimates that vary widely (10^?4 m < k < 10° m) over short horizontal distances (of the order 10² m). The velocity data provided information on the near‐bottom current response to winter storms anda basis for computations of sediment load and transport rates. The near‐bottom mean flow showed distinct storm‐driven circulation patterns, with velocities roughly parallel to alongshore wind stress but opposed to shore‐normal wind. Wave‐induced oscillatory motions also showed marked increases during storms and frequently dominated the near‐bottom flow. Sediment load (depth‐integrated concentration) and transport were computed using a model in which the load is related to the excess normalized shear stress. The computed mean concentrations were compatible with the optical transmis someter data. These computations yielded estimates ranging up to 0.7 kg m^?2 for the mean sediment load and 443 kg m^?1 h^?1 for the net transport. Hindcast scour rates, of the order of 1 mm h^?1 under moderate storm conditions were generally compatible with depths of scour measured by divers.     

A case study of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves within an off-shore stable boundary layer: Observations and linear model

A case study of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves which were observed by two aircraft in a warm off-shore stable boundary-layer flow over the North Sea is presented. During the one-hour flight mission within an area of 40 × 40 km², the waves were intermittent both in space and time. They were centered around two levels, at 90 and 330m, where inflection points in the mean profile of the cross-wave wind component occurred together with Richardson numbers smaller than the critical value of 0.25. Observed wave amplitudes were on the order of 0.1 K for the potential temperature, 0.15ms^-1 for the vertical wind component, 0.3ms^-1 for the cross-wave wind component and 0.15ms^-1 for the along-wave wind component. Horizontally averaged vertical wave transports were down-gradient.Based on the observed wind and temperature profiles, wave simulations with a linear model are performed. Different diffusion coefficient estimates are tested. The model produces two types of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves with maximum amplitudes at the above mentioned two heights. The modeled wavelengths are about 30% shorter than the observed ones. Adjusting the modeled to the observed temperature variations, the modeled vertical wind variance and the vertical transports agree well with the observations, whereas the modeled horizontal wind variances are smaller than the observed ones.     

Airborne surveys of the atmospheric boundary layer above the marginal ice zone on the Newfoundland shelf

Abstract

Airborne measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) above the marginal ice zone (MIZ) on the Newfoundland Shelf reveal strong lateral variations in mean wind, temperature and the vertical fluxes of heat and momentum under conditions of cold, off‐ice wind. Flux measurements in (and near) the surface layer indicate that the neutral 10‐m drag coefficient depends on ice concentration, ranging from 2 × 10^‐3 at 10% coverage to 5 × 10^‐3 at 90%. Furthermore, cross‐ice‐edge transects consistently show increasing wind speed, temperature and heat flux in the off‐ice direction, but the momentum flux may either increase or decrease, depending on the relative importance of surface buoyancy flux and roughness. For the conditions encountered in this experiment, it appears surface wave maturity does not have a significant influence on the drag coefficient in fetch‐limited regimes near the ice edge.     

Air–Sea Interaction Features in the Baltic Sea and at a Pacific Trade-Wind Site: An Inter-comparison Study

A systematic comparison of wind profiles and momentum exchange at a trade wind site outside Oahu, Hawaii and corresponding data from the Baltic Sea is presented. The trade wind data are to a very high degree swell dominated, whereas the Baltic Sea data include a more varied assortment of wave conditions, ranging from a pure growing sea to swell. In the trade wind region swell waves travel predominantly in the wind direction, while in the Baltic, significant cross-wind swells are also present. Showing the drag coefficient as a function of the 10-m wind speed demonstrates striking differences for unstable conditions with swell for the wind-speed range 2 m s^?1 < U ₁₀ < 7 m s^?1, where the trade-wind site drag values are significantly larger than the corresponding Baltic Sea values. In striking contrast to this disagreement, other features studied are surprisingly similar between the two sites. Thus, exactly as found previously in Baltic Sea studies during unstable conditions and swell, the wind profile in light winds (3 m s^?1) shows a wind maximum at around 7–8 m above the water, with close to constant wind speed above. Also, for slightly higher wind speeds (4 m s^?1 < U ₁₀ < 7 m s^?1), the similarity between wind profiles is striking, with a strong wind-speed increase below a height of about 7–8 m followed by a layer of virtually constant wind speed above. A consequence of these wind-profile features is that Monin–Obukhov similarity is no longer valid. At the trade-wind site this was observed to be the case even for wind speeds as high as 10 m s^?1. The turbulence kinetic energy budget was evaluated for four cases of 8–16 30- min periods at the trade-wind site, giving results that agree very well with corresponding figures from the Baltic Sea.     

Large‐eddy simulation of small‐scale surface effects on the convective boundary‐layer structure

Abstract

The effects of small‐scale surface inhomogeneities on the turbulence structure in the convective boundary layer are investigated using a high‐resolution large‐eddy simulation model. Surface heat flux variations are sinusoidal and two‐dimensional, dividing the total domain into a checkerboard‐like pattern of surface hot spots with a 500‐m wavelength in the x and y directions, or 1/4 of the domain size. The selected wind speeds were 1 and 4 m s^‐l, respectively. As a comparison, a simulation of the turbulence structure was performed over a homogeneous surface.

When the wind speed is light, surface heat flux variations influence the horizontally averaged turbulence statistics, including the higher moments despite the small characteristic length of the surface perturbation. Stronger mean wind speeds weaken the effects of inhomogeneous surface conditions on the turbulence structure in the convective boundary layer.

Results from conditional sampling show that when the mean wind speed is small, weak mean circulations occur, with updraft branches above the high heat flux regions and down‐draft branches above the low heat flux regions. The inhomogeneous surface induces significant differences in the turbulence statistics between the high and low heat flux regions. However, the effect of the surface perturbations weaken rapidly when the mean wind speed increases. This research has implications in the explanation of the large‐scale variability commonly encountered in aircraft observations of atmospheric turbulence.     

A performance comparison for two lagrangian drifter designs

Abstract

We compare the water‐parcel‐following and position‐reporting performance of two recent drifter designs. One (Tristar‐II ) uses the ARGOS satellite navigation system, has a very large drogue: float frontal area ratio and a small velocity error resulting from wind drag and surface wave forces. The second design uses an internal Loran receiver and transmits its position every half hour by radio. Its drogue: float frontal area ratio is much smaller than the TRISTAR's; we wished to know if this difference caused a significant change in drifter trajectory. Over a 78‐h joint deployment, the two designs had nearly identical trajectories. Measured drift speeds ranged from 10 to 30 cms^?1. Wind speeds (an important potential biasing factor) ranged up to 15 ms^?l. Net velocity difference over the full deployment was only 0.1 cms^?1. Frontal trapping of both drifters during the latter part of the comparison period may have helped to minimize this difference. But we also observed little or no downwind slippage (the net velocity difference was less than 2 cm s^?1 and was nearly normal to the wind and wave directions) during the first third of the deployment, when winds were strongest and the constancy of the water properties measured at drogue depth indicated no frontal trapping. Because the trajectories of the drifters were so similar, the most important differences in their performance were due to their position‐reporting and deployment characteristics. Initial deployment of the tristar was easier, and its positioning method and lower power requirement allow much longer untended deployments. The Loran design gave more frequent and precise positioning information and, therefore, better resolution of short‐time‐scale velocity fluctuations. It was also easier to find at sea, and to recover and redeploy.     

Wind‐driven inertial oscillations of large spatial coherence

Abstract

Inertial oscillations in current records collected from May to September, 1977, at ten mooring sites 20–300 km apart in the semi‐enclosed sea off northwest British Columbia are analysed. Near‐surface oscillations were wind‐driven, clockwise rotary and circularly polarized; near‐bottom oscillations at depths of 155–330 m were clockwise rotary, less than 10% of near‐surface amplitudes, highly elliptical and poorly correlated with surface winds. In the open southwest sector of the region, near‐surface spectra possessed well‐defined peaks centred roughly 3.5% above the local inertial frequency (f), whereas spectra for the semi‐enclosed northern sector had broad peaks centred at f. The peak spectral frequency at the southeast corner of the mooring array was 6.5% below f and is linked to a Doppler shift by mean flow advection of comparatively high wavenumber inertial oscillations. A particularly vigorous wind‐generated surface “event” in mid‐June was coherent to 99% confidence over a distance of 300 km and persisted for more than 8 days at most locations and 11 days at a mooring at the edge of the continental shelf. (Typical durations for single wave groups were ～2 1/2 days.) This event, together with a similar less energetic event in August, was due to quasi‐resonant forcing by frontal winds associated with sequences of regularly spaced, eastward travelling extratropical cyclones. Estimated inertial wavelengths ranged from 300–700 km over the main portion of the sea to 85–95 km in the southeast corner.     

Surface currents in British Columbia coastal waters: Comparison of observations and model predictions

Abstract

Observations of the motion of ocean surface drifters are used to evaluate numerical simulations of surface currents in the region of Queen Charlotte Sound on the West Coast of Canada. More than 30 surface Argos drifters were deployed in the spring and summer of 1995, revealing daily average currents of 10 to 40 cm s^–1 near the coast of Vancouver Island in summer, and less than 10 cm s^–1 in mid‐sound. Wind observations in this region are provided by a network of weather buoys. Comparison of daily average drifter velocities and winds shows that the drifters moved at 2 to 3% of the wind speed, and at about 30 degrees to the right of the wind.

A complex transfer function is computed between daily wind and drifter vectors using least squares techniques. The ratio of variance in the least squares residual currents to the variance of observed drifter currents is denoted γ². A percent goodness‐of‐fit is defined as g(γ²) = 100(1 – γ²), and is 42% for the case of daily winds and drifter currents. Drifter‐measured currents are compared with two numerical simulations of surface currents: Fundy5, a steadystate baroclinic model based on historical water property measurements in summer, and the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), a prognostic, baroclinic model forced by the measured winds. Fundy5 by itself provides a goodness‐of‐fit of only 3%, whereas POM has g(γ²) = 42%. The combination of Fundy5 plus daily wind gives g(γ²) = 43%. Although the prognostic model performs only as well as the winds by themselves, it simulates the near shore currents more accurately and reproduces the speeds and veering in the surface Ekman layer on average without bias. Residual currents unexplained by POM are likely due to advection of water masses into this region and horizontal inhomogeneities in the density field that are not input to the model, as well as to Stokes drift of wind waves and to net Lagrangian tidal motion not represented by the model.