Variations in momentum, mass and heat fluxes due to changes in the sea surface temperature of Hudson Bay

Abstract

Abstract The atmospheric model of Danard et al. (1983) is used to investigate the changes in heat, mass and momentum fluxes at the air‐sea interface in Hudson Bay when the seasonal sea surface temperature is varied. Comparisons of model predictions with data from a meteorological buoy located 400 km offshore showed that the model predicted the variations in wind speed and air temperature fairly well but underestimated their magnitudes. In addition it provided offshore heat and mass fluxes for which no direct observations were available. The most important parameter determining air‐sea fluxes is the temperature difference between air and water. This determines the stability and the degree of vertical convection of the air. In the spring the colder water stabilizes the air, which depresses vertical convection. This reduces wind stress and evaporation while increasing the heat flux into the water. During the fall, the opposite occurs. The sea surface temperature is thus buffered against man‐made changes. When the temperature is decreased, for example, as the result of hydroelectric development in surrounding watersheds, the heat flux into the water increases while the wind stress decreases. Both effects increase the sea surface temperature, opposing the initial decrease. A one‐degree depression of sea surface temperature in summer is slowly offset by increased heating and no noticeable change in temperature remains at the end of the fall.