Behavior of the mean wind, the drag coefficient, and the wave field in the open ocean

Micrometeorological data obtained at ocean station Papa during May and June 1970 are analyzed to determine the variation of the stress, drag coefficient, and wave energy in relation to the synoptic weather system. Two periods associated with the passage of high wind speed disturbances are examined. The drag coefficient C10, determined by the dissipation technique, has an average value of (1.63 ± 0.28) × 10−3 for wind speeds up to 17 m sec−1 and is observed to have a possible dependence on spectral shape of the wave field. The development of the wave field during the two storms is discussed.