D - F
FLORENCE
The FLORENCE program (FLux Oceaniques Restitues par bilan d'ENergie a la surfaCE, or ocean fluxes restored from surface energy budgets) involved determination of fluxes from SST observations combined with stress and radiative flux estimates from satellite data alone. The FLORENCE method consists of the inverse of a three-dimensional oceanic mixed-layer model in order to infer the net surface heat flux that yields an exact simulation of the observed SST, the model being otherwise forced by wind stress data. Determination of turbulent fluxes along the trajectories of drifting buoys equipped with thermistor chains allows to adjust the FLORENCE technique and gives some insight on flux variability. The use of such buoys in ocean-atmosphere experiments allows to retrieve fluxes under various weather conditions and to compare air-sea fluxes evaluations with direct measurements performed by ship, aircraft, and moored buoys. Four Marisonde GT drifters, using Argos for location and data collection, were released during the TOGA COARE Intensive Observing Period. On an hourly basis, the buoys measured SST, wind speed, wind direction, and water temperature down to a depth of 150 meters nominal (15-m intervals). Atmospheric pressure (one-minute sampling) was measured at the same time every three hours (excepted on buoy 15500). Summary provided by http://dss.ucar.edu/datasets/ds606.4/docs/marisonde.readme