 The goal of the FAIRS experiment is to investigate the behavior of momentum, heat, and water vapor fluxes between the atmosphere and ocean. FAIRS culminated in a cruise aboard the R/P FLIP in September and October 2000. With funding from the Office of Naval Research, scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory performed scalar profiles and direct flux measurements over the open ocean west of San Francisco. The WHOI component of the cruise consisted of installing an atmospheric sampling mast to measure profiles of temperature and water vapor in conjunction with a fast response hygrometer, sonic temperature, and motion correction sonic anemometer. Now that the cruise is complete, analysis of scalar profiles, direct scalar flux measurements, and the directional wave spectrum is ongoing. The relationship of air-sea fluxes to surface physical forcing will be explored and results will be shared with scientific and educational communities. Click here to see a diagram showing the instruments used aboard FLIP. |