This paper presents a novel approach to measuring and mapping shape and motion of the water surface. The approach combines and borrows from existing techniques, such as stereo imaging shape recognition and tracking, infrared (IR) laser marking and thermography, and particle image velocimetry. The system consists of a high power IR laser beam controlled by a programmable marking head and two IR cameras tracking the thermal pattern projected by the beam onto the water surface. The paper provides detailed description of the setup, discusses the choice of the thermal pattern, and describes the IR image processing algorithm. An example of resolved surface shape and velocity maps is given for an experiment conducted in a laboratory wave tank.

An unusual spatial pattern on the ocean surface was captured by thermal airborne swaths taken across a strong sea surface temperature front at the North Wall of the Gulf Stream. The thermal pattern on the cold side of the front resembles a staircase consisting of tens of steps, each up to ∼200 m wide and up to ∼0.3°C warm. The steps are well organized, clearly separated by sharp temperature gradients, mostly parallel and aligned with the primary front. The interpretation of the airborne imagery is aided by oceanographic measurements from two research vessels. Analysis of the in situ observations indicates that the front was unstable to symmetric instability, a type of overturning instability that can generate coherent structures with similar dimensions to the temperature steps seen in the airborne imagery. It is concluded that the images capture, for the first time, the surface temperature field of symmetric instability turbulence.

A comprehensive study on the properties of upper ocean turbulence and its response to a variety of wind and wave forcing conditions was conducted at the Surge Structure Atmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) facility, University of Miami, RSMAS. The dimensions of SUSTAIN wind‐wave‐current tunnel are 18 m long, 6 m wide, and 2 m high, uniquely allowing for freely forming turbulence unconstrained by side walls. The grid of input parameters covered a range of wave steepness (ak: 0–0.27) within each investigated wind speed (U₁₀: 2–20 m/s), allowing for the isolation of wave effects on the turbulence driven by both wind and waves. The response of turbulence to each pair of wind‐wave parameters was measured in steady‐state conditions (after 20+ min of settling time) by a suite of nonintrusive turbulence visualization techniques, located at 10 m fetch. These included 3‐D visualization of water tracing dye entrainment by turbulence, underwater particle image velocimetry, and passive and active thermal imagery resolving surface skin temperature and velocity fluctuations. The resulting data set includes both qualitative 3‐D view of subsurface turbulent structures and precise quantitative turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) measurements mapped out in response to the grid of input parameters. In lower winds, TKE was found to grow substantially in response to increasing wave steepness, in line with the expected effect of increasing wave forcing. However, in higher winds the effect of increasing wave steepness on TKE was found to be negative. It is hypothesized to be due to the rise of airflow separation, effectively sheltering much of the water surface from turbulence production by wind friction.

Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of profiling and characterizing subsurface bubble plumes following a breaking wave event from an above-water Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system. Measurements of LiDAR backscatter profiles of bubble plumes under mechanically generated breaking waves in a wave tank were collected and analyzed. After onset of wave breaking, the LiDAR backscatter increases rapidly by injected bubble plumes of active wave breaking. This intensification reaches a depth of one wave height within one wave period. After active wave breaking, the LiDAR backscatter from dissipated bubble plumes in the upper layer of water column decreases very slowly. The temporal variations of LiDAR backscatter are comparable to the collocated in-water measurements of optical backscatter at 850 nm wavelength and acoustic backscatter at 2000 kHz frequency. The decay rate of LiDAR backscatter of dissipated bubble plumes follows a power-law function consistent with decay rate of void fraction measurements in previous studies. This study demonstrates the viability and potential of using above-water LiDAR remote sensing to characterize subsurface bubble plumes.

The influence of wind stress, wind drift, and wind-wave (microscale) breaking on the coupled air–sea boundary layer is poorly understood. We performed high-resolution planar and stereo velocity measurements within the first micrometers to centimeters above and below surface gravity waves at the University of Miami’s SUSTAIN air–sea interaction facility. A particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was adapted and installed in the large (18 m long, 6 m wide) wind-wave tunnel at a fetch of approximately 10 m. In addition, wave field properties were captured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Experiments were conducted with wind waves and wind over mechanically generated swell. In this work, we focus on rather smooth, young, wind-generated waves. We present instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields above and below the air–water interface for the same wind-wave conditions. Both instantaneous and phase-averaged fields show strong along-wave modulations in viscous stress. For steeper waves, we observe airflow separation and increased negative turbulent stress below crests, accompanied by sporadic drops in viscous stress below zero. We describe the wave-induced modulations of the airflow structure as well as the wind-induced water dynamics and discuss the importance of the viscous stress for the total momentum budget. Graphic