Analysis of three years of boundary layer observations over the Gulf of Mexico and its shores

Boundary layer observations were made over the Gulf of Mexico over a 3-year period in order to develop and test methods for estimating surface fluxes and boundary layer wind fields. In addition to routinely available buoy and CMAN surface data, six 915 MHz radar wind profilers (RWPs) and RASS profilers were mounted on oil platforms and on the shore. Estimates of surface momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes have been made from the surface observations using the COARE software. Simulations by the National Weather Service's Eta meteorological model are compared with the observations of surface fluxes and wind profiles. The boundary layer is found to be unstable over 90% of the time, and latent heat fluxes are about five to ten times larger than sensible heat fluxes, as usually found over tropical oceans. Eta model simulations of surface fluxes are within about ±50% of COARE estimates of the fluxes based on surface observations. Most of the time, COARE-derived fluxes at 11 sites are within a factor of two of each other at any given hour. In multi-day case studies, COARE calculations are found to agree with Eta model simulations of these fluxes and parameters within a factor of two most of the time. Eta model simulations of wind speeds in the boundary layer tend to exceed the RWP observations by 1–2 m s⁻¹ near shore and by 2–6 m s⁻¹ at distances of 100–200 km offshore.