Turbulent air‐water mass transfer under varied stratification conditions

Influence of neutral, stable, and unstable stratification conditions upon turbulent momentum, heat, and mass transfers is shown. Velocity, temperature, and humidity profiles have been recorded for various global Richardson numbers in the large IMST air‐sea interaction simulating facility. Corresponding fluxes and dimensionless exchange coefficients are estimated by indirect methods, and their variations with Reynolds and bulk Richardson number are found. The shape of humidity profiles appears to be affected by stratification, as should be expected from the Monin‐Obukhov semiempirical theory. Results obtained by the various techniques show good internal agreement, and they are compared with both theory and previous experimental results. A semi‐empirical relationship between the Sherwood (Sh) and both the Reynolds numbers (Re) based on fetch and the bulk Richardson number (Rig) is proposed: Sh = · 0073 Re0.9 (1 ‐ 17 Rig).