Testing Dynamics of the Atmospheric Response to the Ocean Mesoscale

We test a linear model for the response of the atmospheric boundary layer to variations the sea surface temperature associate with the ocean mesoscale. The model includes the impact of sea surface temperature fronts on vertical mixing and on pressure gradients, and includes advection by a background Ekman spiral. We test this model using available satellite observations and output of numerical models. The comparison is performed in spectral wave-number space using transfer function between sea surface temperature, and frontal scale surface winds Preliminary results using output from a high resolution atmospheric general circulation model show encouraging agreements and will be discussed and compared to observations.