Abstract
Boundary-layer secondary circulations or 'roll vortices' can have a significant influence on the turbulent exchange of momentum, sensible heat and moisture throughout the hurricane boundary layer. In this study, analyses of data from a WP-3D aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are presented. As part of the Coupled Boundary Layer Air-Sea Transfer (CBLAST)-hurricane experiment sponsored through the Office of Naval Research and NOAA's annual hurricane research program, flights were conducted to investigate energy exchange across the air-sea interface. We present the first in-situ aircraft-based observations of rolls in the hurricane boundary layer and investigate their influence on energy and momentum exchange. The rolls detected in Hurricane Isidore (year 2002) have a characteristic wavelength of about 900 m, in good agreement with analyses of data from a synthetic aperture radar image captured by the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT satellite in the same storm. Our analyses of the airborne data suggest that roll vortices may be a significant factor modulating the air-sea momentum exchange.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 173-189 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Boundary-Layer Meteorology |
Volume | 128 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2008 |
Keywords
- Air-sea interaction
- Hurricane boundary layer
- Roll vortices
- Turbulent fluxes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atmospheric Science