Influence of the Surf Zone on the Marine Aerosol Concentration in a Coastal Area

Sea-salt aerosol concentrations in the coastal zone are assessed with the numerical aerosol-transport model MACMod that applies separate aerosol source functions for open ocean and the surf zone near the sea–land transition. Numerical simulations of the aerosol concentration as a function of offshore distance from the surf zone compare favourably with experimental data obtained during a surf-zone aerosol experiment in Duck, North Carolina in autumn 2007. Based on numerical simulations, the effect of variations in aerosol production (source strength) and transport conditions (wind speed, air–sea temperature difference), we show that the surf-zone aerosols are replaced by aerosols generated over the open ocean as the airmass advects out to sea. The contribution from the surf-generated aerosol is significant during high wind speeds and high wave events, and is significant up to 30 km away from the production zone. At low wind speeds, the oceanic component dominates, except within 1–5 km of the surf zone. Similar results are obtained for onshore flow, where no further sea-salt aerosol production occurs as the airmass advects out over land. The oceanic aerosols that are well-mixed throughout the boundary layer are then more efficiently transported inland than are the surf-generated aerosols, which are confined to the first few tens of metres above the surface, and are therefore also more susceptible to the type of surface (trees or grass) that determines the deposition velocity.     

Experimental study of the hydrodynamic performance of an onshore wave power device in the presence of an underwater mound

The hydrodynamic functioning of an oscillating water column (OWC) in the presence of an underwater tri-dimensional mound (UTDM) through large-scale ocean engineering basin experiments is described. Experiments are carried out with both regular and irregular waves and are compared to numerical models. The analysis is based on the measurements of the wave amplification in the water column for the OWC performance and on surface deformation upwave and over the UTDM for the wave transformation due to both UTDM and OWC. A significant increase of the capture-width ratio due to wave focusing above the mound is observed experimentally. This wave focusing is also well described numerically with a refraction–diffraction model. The wave amplification in the water column for both regular and irregular waves is compared to results from a linear potential model based on an integral matching method. Linear behaviour of the hydrodynamic response of the device is verified for both open and partially closed conditions, in particular for irregular waves.     

Spatial Variation of Sea-Spray Fluxes over a Mediterranean Coastal Zone Using a Sea-State Model

We first deal with sea-spray flux estimates for short fetch conditions in coastal Mediterranean areas. To this end, a sea-state dependent model for the whitecap fraction was included in three different formulations for the sea-spray source function. A comparison with the sea-spray fluxes, calculated on the basis of aerosol size distributions measured at the island of Porquerolles located south off the French Riviera, evaluates the predictions of different whitecap dependant flux formulations. Then we deal with the spatial distribution of the whitecap fraction and the sea-spray fluxes in the study area. To achieve this, a whitecap dependant flux formulation was forced by a wave numerical model that was implemented in the study area. Experimental results on wave conditions have been used to adjust the model in the Mediterranean coastal area. Numerical simulations of wave and whitecap coverage have been carried out during typical regional wind events, and they show a nonhomogeneous distribution of the sea-surface production over the northern Mediterranean as a consequence of the spatial variation of the sea state. In particular, we note the occurrence of a narrow band of high sea-surface production following the northern coast and along the east part of the Gulf of Lions.     

Sea-Spray-Generation Dependence on Wind and Wave Combinations: A Laboratory Study

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - We investigate the effects of wind–wave interactions on the surface sea-spray-generation flux. To this end, the Marine Aerosol Tunnel Experiment (MATE2019) was...     

One year measurements of aerosol optical properties over an urban coastal site: Effect on local direct radiative forcing

We present results of direct aerosol radiative forcing over a French Mediterranean coastal zone based on one year of continuous observations of aerosol optical properties during 2005–2006. Monthly-mean aerosol optical depth at 440 nm ranged between 0.1 and 0.34, with high Angstrom coefficient (α > 1.2). The single scattering albedo (at 525 nm) estimated at the surface ranged between 0.7 and 0.8, indicating significant absorption. The presence of aerosols over the Mediterranean zone during summer decreases the shortwave radiation reaching the surface by as much as 26 ± 3.9 W m^− 2, and increases the top of the atmosphere reflected radiation by as much as 5.2 ± 1.0 W m^− 2. The shortwave atmospheric absorption translates to an atmospheric heating of 2.5 to 4.6 K day^− 1. Concerted efforts are needed for investigating the possible impact of the increase in heating rate on the maintenance of heat-waves frequently occurring over this coastal region during summer time.     

Analysis of the Variations of the Whitecap Fraction as Measured in a Coastal Zone

The whitecap coverage generated by breaking waves plays a major role in the transfer of heat, momentum, water vapour and particles at the air-sea interface. The sea surface covered by whitecaps strongly depends on both the wind and the wave-field characteristics. In particular, in coastal zones, the variations of the whitecap fraction, commonly noted W, differ from open ocean conditions, due to fetch effects, wave-current interactions, bottom influence and irregular coastlines affecting both the wind properties and the wave development. We present an analysis of the whitecap-fraction variations using experimental data acquired during FETCH (Flux, Etat de mer, et Télédétection en Condition de fetcH variable), an experimental campaign that took place in the Gulf of Lion off the French Mediterranean coast in 1998. The data include various conditions of wave development associated with fetch and unsteady effects. The whitecap fraction W was measured using an original image processing technique applied to sea surface photography. Specific relationships between the whitecap fraction and both atmospheric and oceanic parameters are investigated, which confirm the suitability of the friction velocity for modelling W. However, W has also been parameterised using wave-parameter dependent relationships, which is of interest for very short fetches.     

A Model for the Transport of Sea-Spray Aerosols in the Coastal Zone

We study the dynamics of sea-spray particles in the coastal region of La Reunion Island on the basis of numerical simulations using the transport aerosol model MACMod (Marine Aerosol Concentration Model) and a survey of the aerosol size distributions measured at four locations at two different heights in the north-west part of the island. This allows evaluation of the performance of our model in case of pure marine air masses with implementation of accurate boundary conditions. First of all, an estimate of the aerosol concentration at 10-m height at the upwind boundary of the calculation domain is obtained using a revisited version of the MEDEX (Mediterranean Extinction) model. Estimates of the vertical profile of aerosol concentrations are then provided using aerosol data obtained at two different heights at the upwind boundary of the calculation domain. A parametrization of the vertical profiles of aerosol concentrations for maritime environment is proposed. The results are then compared to the vertical profiles of 0.532 \(\upmu \)m aerosol particle extinction coefficient obtained from lidar data provided by the Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and also to the data provided by the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). This allows validation of the complete vertical profiles in the mixed layer and shows the validity of satellite data for determination of the vertical profiles. Two kinds of simulation were made: one without a particle advection flux at the upwind boundary of the numerical domain, whereas the second simulation was made with a particle advection flux. In the first case, the influence of the distance to the shoreline on the local sea-spray dynamics is investigated. In the second set of simulation, the particles issued from the local production in the surf zone near the shoreline are mixed with aerosols advected from the remote ocean. A good agreement between the model calculations using our boundary conditions and the data was found. The present results then attest the ability of this kind of model, as a first approach to predicting the local transport of sea-spray particles in a pure marine environment.