Near-neutral drag coefficients over open-ocean waves

Reanalysis of open-ocean eddy-correlation drag coefficients observed at Argus Island Tower near Bermuda indicates that near-neutral drag coefficients decrease with increasing mean horizontal wind velocity when the dominant (spectral peak) ocean wave phase velocity is much greater than the mean wind velocity. Near-neutral drag coefficients attain constant values when the dominant wave phase velocity approaches mean wind velocity, and increase again when mean wind velocity is greater than or equal to dominant wave phase velocity.