Air-sea measurements from moored surface buoys during the 2010 Pacific typhoon season

As part of the Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) campaign, two pairs of surface buoys were deployed in the Philippine Sea during the 2010 typhoon season. Each pairing consisted of an Air-Sea Interaction Spar (ASIS) buoy tethered to an Extreme Air-Sea Interaction (EASI) buoy, which was moored to the seabed. ASIS primarily collected wave data while EASI served as a platform for meteorological and oceanographic instruments. These included multiple wind, temperature, and relative humidity sensors, open and closed path CO2/H2O gas analyzers, and aerosol spectrometers. A below-surface array of independent sensors also recorded temperatures within the upper 200m of the water column. Exposure to typhoons Dianmu, Fanapi, Megi, and Chaba, subjected the buoys to wind speeds over 30m/s and significant wave heights over 10m, whereby attaining a unique collection of environmental data. Select data will be presented showing the response of the upper ocean and lower atmosphere to these typhoons. Particular focus will be on cold wake characteristics, wave spectra, and the drag coefficient in high wind speeds.