The objective of this SGER Program proposal is to test both drifting and moored buoys with a new instrument which measures the ocean heat flux directly. Typically, these observations are made indirectly in the atmosphere above the ocean surface and are both difficult to make and do not have the desired accuracy. The new instrument simulates the "membrane" which separates the ocean from the atmosphere and measures the heat flow through it. The instrument is simple, can be calibrated from first principles, and will also work in zero wind. These properties make it ideally sited for obtaining heat flux observations in the warm pool region of the Pacific as part of the TOGA/COARE, and possibly also the CEPEX, program. Modelling the boundary layer in this region is especially difficult because most algorithms require a wind. Observations from these devices could provide key information that should aid in a better understanding of the boundary layer in this region. The instrument should work well in other parts of the ocean as well. This research is important because it seeks to improve on ability to collect information vital to the study of atmosphere- ocean interactions related to climate variability and change.
