Interactions of sea and atmosphere

Abstract

Since the previous review of this subject by Pond [1971], a lively activity in air‐sea interaction research has been displayed. A number of large‐scale experiments have been and will be carried out since the Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorological Experiment (Bomex, 1968), notably: Joint North Sea Wave Project (Jonswap, 1968,1969,1973, and probably 1975), Atlantic Trade Wind Experiment (Atex, 1969), International Field Year of the Great Lakes (IFYGL, 1972), Joint Air‐Sea Interaction (Jasin, 1972 and probably 1977), Garp Atlantic Tropical Experiment (Gate, 1974) and Air Mass Transformation Experiment (Amtex, 1974, 1975) and others. It will be some time before all the information from these field experiments will have been digested, and so we may look forward to continued active reporting in this area for the coming years.Numerous publications carrying articles in this area have appeared recently. The new Journal of Physical Oceanography has given ample space to air‐sea interaction topics as have the almost equally new journals, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics and Boundary Layer Meteorology. In 1974 this last journal devoted a special double issue to air‐sea interactions in memory of the German scientist Karl Brocks. Furthermore, the first textbook in the English language has appeared [Kraus, 1972].