Tropical cyclones (TC) consist of a large range of interacting scales from hundreds of kilometers to a few meters. The energy transportation among these different scales-that is, from smaller to larger scales (upscale) or vice versa (downscale)-may have profound impacts on TC energy dynamics as a result of the associated changes in available energy sources and sinks. From multilayer tower measurements in the lowlevel (,120 m) boundary layer of several landing TCs, the authors found there are two distinct regions where the energy flux changes from upscale to downscale as a function of distance to the storm center. The boundary between these two regions is approximately 1.5 times the radius of maximum wind. Two-dimensional turbulence (upscale cascade) occurs more typically at regions close to the inner-core region of TCs, while 3D turbulence (downscale cascade) mostly occurs at the outer-core region in the surface layer.
The effects of wind direction on variations in friction velocity with wind speed are studied under moderate (≥9 m/s) to strong (≥22 m/s) onshore wind conditions using 20‐Hz ultrasonic wind data from a coastal tower at three different heights. The effects of different averaging time intervals of 20, 10, 2, and 1 min on the variations are also investigated. Three typhoons passed by the tower during the 150 hr of observations. Regardless of wind direction, friction velocity increases with increasing wind speed, and linear regression shows that the rate of increase is ~50% less than previously reported. However, a leveling‐off or decrease in friction velocity with increasing wind speed is found under strong wind conditions using a bin‐averaged method. Wind direction affects the variations in friction velocity with wind speed. Friction velocity increases with increasing wind speed at a similar growth rate to that of previously published results, with a leveling‐off or decrease at wind speeds higher than 22 m/s when the wind blows roughly normal to the shoreline. Form drag induced by sea waves with longer wavelengths is suggested to be responsible for the effects of wind direction on the variations in friction velocity with wind speed. An averaging time interval of 1 min yields representative variations in friction velocity with wind speed using the observations described in this study.
Variations in friction velocity with wind speed and height are studied under moderate (≥9 m s−1)-to-strong onshore wind conditions caused by three landfalling typhoons. Wind data are from a coastal 100-m tower equipped with 20-Hz ultrasonic anemometers at three heights. Results show that wind direction affects variations in friction velocity with wind speed. A leveling off or decrease in friction velocity occurs at a critical wind speed of ~20 m s−1 under strong onshore wind conditions. Friction velocity does not always decrease with height in the surface layer under typhoon conditions. Thus, height-based corrections on friction velocities using the model from Anctil and Donelan may not be reliable. Surface-layer heights predicted by the model that are based on Ekman dynamics are verified by comparing with those determined by a proposed method that is based on the idea of mean boundary layer using wind-profile data from one of the landfalling typhoons. Friction velocity at the top of the surface layer is then estimated. Results show that friction velocity decreases by about 20% from its surface value and agrees well with previous results of Tennekes.
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