Exploring Air-Sea Interactions at the AMS Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) is the largest national gathering for atmospheric scientists, drawing experts from various disciplines, including oceanography. This event serves as a key venue for advancing research and fostering collaborations across scientific communities.

AMS plays a critical role in disseminating oceanographic research through several journals, including the Bulletin of the AMS, Journal of Climate, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, and Journal of Physical Oceanography. These publications provide valuable platforms for cutting-edge studies in meteorology and oceanography.

A long-standing proponent of air-sea interaction research, the AMS supports this field through its dedicated Committee on Air-Sea Interaction. This committee organizes biennial research conferences at the annual meeting and frequently collaborates with other AMS committees to host joint sessions at these locations. Most recently, the Air-Sea Interaction Committee has expanded its collaborative efforts beyond AMS, partnering with the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to organize sessions at the Ocean Sciences Meeting.

At this year’s AMS Annual Meeting, the 24th Conference on Air-Sea Interaction was held in New Orleans, providing a platform for researchers to present their latest findings. James Edson, Principal Investigator of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), and Ben Barr, Postdoctoral Investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), along with their colleagues gave two presentations investigating air-sea interaction in high winds and extreme environments using OOI data. Their talks included:

• 10.2 Edson and Barr: Improvements to the COARE Bulk Flux Algorithm under Extreme Wind and Wave Conditions using NSF OOI Data
• 10.5 Barr, Seo, Edson, Sauvage, and Clayson: Understanding and Constraining Interfacial and Sea Spray Heat Fluxes in High Winds Using Direct Covariance Heat Flux Observations

These presentations were met with significant enthusiasm, sparking in-depth discussions that extended well into the lunch break. The engagement and interest generated by these talks reflect the growing importance of high-quality observational data in advancing our understanding of air-sea interactions, particularly under extreme environmental conditions.

As research on air-sea interactions advances, events like the AMS Annual Meeting play a crucial role in driving progress in marine meteorology. By leveraging innovative observational tools and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, scientists are set to make significant strides in understanding the complex dynamics at the interface of the ocean and atmosphere.