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The atmosphere and oceans interact at the ocean surface through boundary layers that are millimeters to many tens of meters thick. Processes at work in this relatively thin region are crucial in controlling the coupling between air and ocean and, as such, are important both in studies of the ocean or atmosphere in isolation, and in studies of the coupled system that investigate—for example—interannual climatic variability

However, as a practical matter, attempts to generate flux estimates from particular observational data sets often involve a great deal of effort, since the relevant parameterizations are scattered throughout the literature; may have only limited applicability to certain locations and regimes; and are found using algorithms that are often complex and iterative. This can be especially frustrating when boundary layer theory is only peripheral to the main scientific or educational interest.