Effects of roll vortices on turbulent fluxes in the hurricane boundary layer

Jun A. Zhang; Kristina B. Katsaros; Peter G. Black; Susanne Lehner; Jeffrey R. French; William M. Drennan

doi:10.1007/s10546-008-9281-2

Effects of roll vortices on turbulent fluxes in the hurricane boundary layer

Jun A. Zhang, Kristina B. Katsaros, Peter G. Black, Susanne Lehner, Jeffrey R. French, William M. Drennan

Ocean Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

56 Scopus citations

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)
Pages (from-to)	173-189
Number of pages	17
Journal	Boundary-Layer Meteorology
Volume	128
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9281-2
State	Published - Aug 2008

Keywords

Air-sea interaction
Hurricane boundary layer
Roll vortices
Turbulent fluxes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Atmospheric Science

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10.1007/s10546-008-9281-2

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@article{5bcd608b5f6a4ba0b6466d0a067045af,

title = "Effects of roll vortices on turbulent fluxes in the hurricane boundary layer",

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.",

keywords = "Air-sea interaction, Hurricane boundary layer, Roll vortices, Turbulent fluxes",

author = "Zhang, {Jun A.} and Katsaros, {Kristina B.} and Black, {Peter G.} and Susanne Lehner and French, {Jeffrey R.} and Drennan, {William M.}",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge support from ONR (N00014-01-F-0090) and NASA (W-19-835), as well as our collaboration with the CSA through the Hurricane Watch program. We appreciate the efforts of the many people involved in planning and carrying out CBLAST. We acknowledge in particular the efforts of Simon Chang and Carl Friehe (both formerly ONR), Jim Roles and Terry Lynch at NOAA AOC, Paris Vachon (CCRS) and Frank Marks (NOAA AOML). We also thank our CBLAST co-investigators as well as the many scientists, engineers and technicians at NOAA Aircraft Operations Center at MacDill AFB, Tampa, and NOAA AOML{\textquoteright}s Hurricane Research Division, along with the flight crew of NOAA43. We acknowledge Antonio Reppucci for help in analysing the SAR image, as well as Ralph Foster, Funding Information: Sylvie Lorsolo and Mark Powell for their helpful comments. The lead author also acknowledges the support of National Research Council Research Associateship Award.",

year = "2008",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1007/s10546-008-9281-2",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "128",

pages = "173--189",

journal = "Boundary-Layer Meteorology",

issn = "0006-8314",

publisher = "Springer Netherlands",

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T1 - Effects of roll vortices on turbulent fluxes in the hurricane boundary layer

AU - Zhang, Jun A.

AU - Katsaros, Kristina B.

AU - Black, Peter G.

AU - Lehner, Susanne

AU - French, Jeffrey R.

AU - Drennan, William M.

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge support from ONR (N00014-01-F-0090) and NASA (W-19-835), as well as our collaboration with the CSA through the Hurricane Watch program. We appreciate the efforts of the many people involved in planning and carrying out CBLAST. We acknowledge in particular the efforts of Simon Chang and Carl Friehe (both formerly ONR), Jim Roles and Terry Lynch at NOAA AOC, Paris Vachon (CCRS) and Frank Marks (NOAA AOML). We also thank our CBLAST co-investigators as well as the many scientists, engineers and technicians at NOAA Aircraft Operations Center at MacDill AFB, Tampa, and NOAA AOML’s Hurricane Research Division, along with the flight crew of NOAA43. We acknowledge Antonio Reppucci for help in analysing the SAR image, as well as Ralph Foster, Funding Information: Sylvie Lorsolo and Mark Powell for their helpful comments. The lead author also acknowledges the support of National Research Council Research Associateship Award.

PY - 2008/8

Y1 - 2008/8

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Air-sea interaction

KW - Hurricane boundary layer

KW - Roll vortices

KW - Turbulent fluxes

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JO - Boundary-Layer Meteorology

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