Modeling | UConn Air-Sea Lab

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

Modulation of Bubble-Mediated Gas Transfer due to Wave-Current Interactions

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Project Overview

This project investigated how interactions between surface waves and submesoscale ocean currents influence wave breaking, air–sea gas exchange, and upper-ocean dynamics. Using high-resolution numerical simulations and physics-based models of wave breaking and bubble-mediated CO₂ transfer, the study showed that submesoscale fronts and filaments can strongly modulate wave breaking and whitecap coverage, producing local variations in gas transfer rates of 50% or more. The results highlighted the importance of short-wave dynamics and wave–current interactions, processes that are largely absent from conventional wind-speed-based parameterizations of gas exchange. The project also explored feedbacks between waves and ocean circulation at submesoscales, demonstrating their potential role in shaping frontal dynamics, vertical mixing, and air–sea carbon fluxes.

Funding: NSF OCE-1924686,2121646 (PI: Leonel Romero)

Period: 8/1/2019 - 7/31/2023

Publications

Zhou X., Reichl B. G., Romero L., and Deike L. (2023). A Sea State Dependent Gas Transfer Velocity for CO₂ Unifying Theory, Model, and Field Data. Earth and Space Science. DOI
Hypolite D., Romero L., McWilliams J.C., and Dauhajre D.P. (2023). Langmuir circulations transfer kinetic energy from submesoscales and larger scales to dissipative scales. Journal of Physical Oceanography. DOI
Shin Y., Deike L., and Romero L. (2022). Modulation of Bubble-‐Mediated CO₂ Gas Transfer Due To Wave‐Current Interactions. Geophysical Research Letters. DOI
Romero L. and Lubana K. (2022). On the Bimodality of the Wind-Wave Spectrum: Mean Square Slopes and Azimuthal Overlap Integral. Journal of Physical Oceanography. DOI
Romero L., Hypolite D., and McWilliams J.C. (2021). Representing wave effects on currents. Ocean Modelling. DOI
Hypolite D., Romero L., McWilliams J.C., and Dauhajre D.P. (2021). Surface gravity wave effects on submesoscale currents in the open ocean. Journal of Physical Oceanography. DOI
Romero L., Hypolite D., and McWilliams J.C. (2020). Submesoscale current effects on surface waves.Ocean Modelling. DOI

Software

Romero L. (2022). Gas Transfer. Zenodo. DOI
Hypolite D., Dauhajre D. P., Ho M., Romero L., and McWilliams J.C. (2026). UCLA-ROMS-NCWEC: The Regional Oceanic Modeling System with Non-Conservative Surface Gravity Wave Effects on Currents. Zenodo. DOI

Data Sets

Romero L. (2022). Idealized wave data in support of Modulation of Bubble Mediated Gas Transfer due to Wave-Current Interactions. Zenodo. DOI
Romero L. (2022). Level 2 Winter data in support of Modulation of Bubble Mediated Gas Transfer due to Wave-Current Interactions. Zenodo. DOI
Romero L. (2022). Level 2 Spring data in support of Modulation of Bubble Mediated Gas Transfer due to Wave-Current Interactions. Zenodo. DOI
Romero L. (2022). Level 3 data in support of Modulation of Bubble Mediated Gas Transfer due to Wave-Current Interactions. 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. (2022, June). Modulation of Bubble-Mediated Gas Transfer due to Wave-Current Interactions, Waves and Flows Seminar, University of Oxford (virtual)
Romero, L. (2021, August). Surface Wave Breaking Impacts on Spectral Bimodality and Mean-Squared-Slopes, Coastal Ocean Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Seminar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (virtual)
Romero, L. (2020, November). Surface wave breaking and related air-sea fluxes, Physical Oceanography Seminar, University of Rhode Island (virtual)
Romero, L. (2020, October). Surface wave breaking and related air-sea fluxes, Ocean and Climate Physics Seminar, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (virtual)
Romero, L. (2020, August). Submesoscale Current Effects on Waves, Coastal Ocean Seminar Series, Coastal Marine Modeling Branch of the Coast Survey Development Lab (CSDL/CMMB), NOAA (virtual)

Conference Presentations

Romero L., Shin Y., Deike L., Akaawase B., Hurt J., and Steadman J. (2023, May). Modulation of Bubble-Mediated CO₂ Gas Transfer Due To Wave-Current Interactions (poster). 29th WISE Meeting, Princeton, NJ
Shin Y., Romero L., and Deike L. (2022, Feb.). Modulation of bubble-mediated CO₂ gas transfer due to wave-current interactions (talk). Ocean Sciences Meeting (virtual)
Romero D., Hypolite D., and McWilliams J.C. (2020, Feb.). Submesoscale Current Effects on Waves (poster). U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability Program (CLIVAR) - Surface Currents in the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere System Workshop, La Jolla, CA
Romero L. (2020, Feb.). Distribution of Surface Wave Breaking Fronts (talk). Ocean Sciences Meeting, San Diego, CA