Understanding Planetary Boundary Layer Modulations Over Mesoscale Sea Surface Temperature Variability Using Reanalysis Data

The marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) response to ocean surface fluxes of momentum and heat is a crucial component of air-sea coupling. At the ocean mesoscale, sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies drive turbulent mixing in the atmosphere altering MABL stability and height, resulting in wind stress variations in the termed thermal feedback mechanism (TFB). Coupling coefficients of wind stress and SST anomalies at the mesoscale have previously been computed using remote sensing data. However, the correlation between MABL height and SST anomalies has been less explored due to the scarcity of observations. This work aims to further understand the MABL modulations driven by the TFB in western boundary currents.The analysis is carried out using the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis for the global climate and weather, a mesoscale-permitting product with MABL field parameters. Preliminary results show a linear relationship between MABL and SST in addition to the previously studied correlations between SST and wind stress. This present study may assist the understanding of MABL modulations driven by mesoscale SST features via the exchange of heat and momentum at the air-sea interface.