The Atmospheric Boundary Layer in the Atlantic Ocean: Numerical Modeling and Observation

The vertical evolution of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) is simulated numerically by coupling an atmospheric second order closure model to an oceanic mixing layer (OML) model. The results are compared to the observations in the region of Cabo Frio (23S,42W). The comparison indicate that the simulated structure of the ABL and OML are realistic. The equilibrium OML depth was reached after 5 days of simulation. The simulated depth of the OML and ABL are comparable to the observations. Major discrepancies are related to the presence of a upwelling effect in the region of Cabo Frio, Brazil.