Current | UConn Air-Sea Lab

Directional Phase-Resolved Broadband Observations of Breaking Waves

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Project Overview

This project uses stereo visible and infrared camera systems on the Air-Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT) at the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory, together with existing stereo-wave observations, to investigate the dynamics of ocean wave breaking. The dataset is being used to improve our understanding of breaking-wave statistics and dissipation and to develop improved parameterizations for wave and air–sea interaction models.

Funding: NSF OCE-2319116 (PI: Leonel Romero)

Period: 8/1/2023 - 7/31/2027

Publications

Akaawase, B., Romero, L., and Benetazzo, A. (2025). Observations of Wave‐Breaking Direction and Energy Spread. Geophysical Research Letters. DOI

Software

Akaawase, Bernard (2025). Wave Breaking Kinematics. Zenodo. DOI

Invited Talks and Seminars

Romero, L. (2026, June). Directional wave breaking kinematics from stereo visible and infrared field observations, Air-Sea Interaction Symposium, University of Rhode Island
Romero, L. (2025, Nov.). Directional Phase-Resolved Broadband Observations of Breaking Waves, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Ocean and Climate Physics Seminar
Romero, L. (2024, Nov.). Directional Kinematics of Breaking Surface Gravity Waves, Georgia Institute of Technology (virtual)
Romero, L. (2024, April) Wave Dissipation, Spectral Ranges, and Energy Balance. 30th WISE meeting, Corsica, France

Conference Presentations

Romero L., Akaawase B., and Benetazzo A. (2026, May). Directional Broadband Observations of Breaking Waves (talk). WISE Meeting, Venice, Italy
Akaawase B. and Romero L. (2026, Feb.). Wave Breaking Kinematics under Strongly Misaligned Winds and Dominant Waves (virtual poster). Ocean Sciences Meeting, Glasgow
Akaawase B., Romero L., Benetazzo A. (2025, May). Phase-Resolved Broadband Observations of Directional Breaking Waves (talk). Waves in the Sea Environment (WISE) meeting, Seattle
Akaawase B., Romero L. (2024, February). Directional breaking kinematics observations from 3D stereo reconstruction of ocean waves (talk). Ocean Sciences Meeting, New Orleans, LA
Akaawase B., Romero L., and Benetazzo A. (2023, May). Directional breaking kinematics observations from 3D stereo reconstruction of ocean waves (talk). 29th Waves in the Sea Environment (WISE), Princeton, NJ

Spray-Mediated Air-Sea Gas Exchange of Carbon Dioxide in High Winds

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Project Overview

This project seeks to improve process-based representations of sea spray mediated air-sea carbon dioxide (CO₂) exchange by combining advances in wave-breaking physics, sea spray generation, and carbonate chemistry.

The project has three primary objectives:

O1) Extend the Andreas Gas Exchange Spray (AGES) model, originally developed through NSF project #1630846 for non-reactive gases, to include the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO₂) through sea spray.

O2) Build on results from NSF projects #1924686 and #2121646 to incorporate a physics-based sea spray generation model into ongoing surface wave-breaking model developments.

O3) Incorporate the full carbonate chemistry system associated with CO₂ exchange, including carbonate and bicarbonate species, alkalinity, and pH evolution throughout the lifetime of sea spray droplets.

Funding: NSF OCE-2218781 (PI: Penny Vlahos, co-PI: Leonel Romero)

Period: 9/1/2022 - 8/31/2027

Publications

Hendrickson L., Romero L., and Vlahos P. (2026). Sea spray driven CO2 efflux: modeling the effect of sea spray evaporation on carbonate chemistry and air-sea gas exchange. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 9, 31. DOI
Hendrickson L., Vlahos P., and Romero L. (2024). Timescales for the Spray Mediated Gas Exchange of Carbon Dioxide. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 12, 1128. DOI

Software

lvhend. (2025). lvhend/spray-co2-flux-2025: spray-CO2-flux. Zenodo. DOI

Conference Presentations

Romero L., Hendrickson L., and Vlahos P. (2025, May). Spray Mediated CO₂ Gas Exchange (talk). WISE Meeting, Seattle, WA
Hendrickson L., Vlahos P., and Romero L. (2024, December). Carbonate System Changes Within an Evaporating Sea Spray Droplet (talk). EGU General Assembly, Vienna
Hendrickson L., Vlahos P., and Romero L. (2024, April). Quantifying Net CO2 Evasion from Sea Spray in a Simple Carbonate System (poster). AGU, Washington, DC
Hendrickson L., Vlahos P., and Romero L. (2024, February). Modeling CO2 emission from an evaporating sea spray droplet using CO2SYS (poster). Ocean Sciences Meeting, New Orleans, LA

Improved Mechanistic Understanding of Hypoxia Drivers in Western Long Island Sound Enabled with Data from a Wire-Following Profiler and Coupled Biogeochemical-Hydrodynamic Modeling

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Project Overview

This project seeks to improve understanding of the physical and biogeochemical drivers of hypoxia in Long Island Sound through the integration of fine-scale field observations from a wave-powered vertical profiler (WireWalker) and high-resolution numerical modeling. Building on a UConn CLAS Shared Equipment Internal Award, “WireWalker Autonomous System for Interdisciplinary Research” (PI: Leonel Romero; Co-PI: Cara Manning), the project uses autonomous observations of stratification, currents, turbulence, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), together with wind and wave measurements, to investigate the mechanisms controlling low-oxygen conditions in the Sound.

Funding: EPA/Connecticut Sea Grant (PI: Cara Manning, co-PI: Leonel Romero)

Period: 1/1/2025 - 12/31/2026

Conference Presentations

Manning C., Romero L., and Tan P. (2026, June). Drivers of oxygen variability in western Long Island Sound investigated using high-frequency biogeochemical and physical observations (talk). Long Island Sound Research Conference, Mystic, CT