Numerical Simulations and Observations of Surface Wave Fields under an Extreme Tropical Cyclone

Fan, Yalin; Ginis, Isaac; Hara, Tetsu; Wright, C. Wayne; Walsh, Edward J.

doi:10.1175/2009jpo4224.1

Cited by 120 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…To generate time-dependent wave spectra a third generation wave model is deployed, WAVEWATCH III (WW3) (Tolman 2009), which has been modified previously to better match with observed hurricane wave fields (Fan et al 2009). WW3 solves the spectral wave action equation for the directional frequency spectra [i.e., F(v, u), where omega is the wave frequency and theta denotes the wave propagation direction].…”

Section: Wave Forcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Langmuir Turbulence under Hurricane Gustav (2008)

Rabe

Kukulka

Ginis

et al. 2015

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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Extreme winds and complex wave fields drive upper-ocean turbulence in tropical cyclone conditions. Motivated by Lagrangian float observations of bulk vertical velocity variance (VVV) under Hurricane Gustav (2008), upper-ocean turbulence is investigated based on large-eddy simulation (LES) of the wave-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. To realistically capture wind-and wave-driven Langmuir turbulence (LT), the LES model imposes the Stokes drift vector from spectral wave simulations; both the LES and wave model are forced by the NOAA Hurricane Research Division (HRD) surface wind analysis product. Results strongly suggest that without LT effects simulated VVV underestimates the observed VVV. LT increases the VVV, indicating that it plays a significant role in upper-ocean turbulence dynamics. Consistent with observations, the LES predicts a suppression of VVV near the hurricane eye due to wind-wave misalignment. However, this decrease is weaker and of shorter duration than that observed, potentially due to large-scale horizontal advection not present in the LES. Both observations and simulations are consistent with a highly variable upper ocean turbulence field beneath tropical cyclone cores. Bulk VVV, a TKE budget analysis, and anisotropy coefficient (ratio of horizontal to vertical velocity variances) profiles all indicate that LT is suppressed to levels closer to that of shear turbulence (ST) due to misaligned wind and wave fields. VVV approximately scales with the directional surface layer Langmuir number. Such a scaling provides guidance for the development of an upper-ocean boundary layer parameterization that explicitly depends on sea state.

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Section: Wave Forcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Langmuir Turbulence under Hurricane Gustav (2008)

Rabe

Kukulka

Ginis

et al. 2015

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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“…This regime features rapidly turning wind stress and temporally evolving wave fields that are a complex interacting mix of wind waves and swell with multiple spectral peaks propagating in directions misaligned with the surface winds (Wright et al 2001;Fan et al 2009). The hurricaneforced OBL then allows an assessment of Langmuir turbulence in a highly nonequilibrium wind wave regime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient Evolution of Langmuir Turbulence in Ocean Boundary Layers Driven by Hurricane Winds and Waves

Sullivan

Romero

McWilliams

et al. 2012

Journal of Physical Oceanography

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A large-eddy simulation (LES) model, which adopts wave-averaged equations with vortex force, is used to investigate Langmuir turbulence and ocean boundary layer (OBL) dynamics in high-wind hurricane conditions. The temporally evolving spatially asymmetric wind and wave Stokes drift velocity imposed in the LES are generated by a spectral wave prediction model adapted to Hurricane Frances traveling at a speed of 5.5 m s 21. The potency of Langmuir turbulence depends on the turbulent Langmuir number, the wind-Stokes drift alignment, and the depth scale of the Stokes profile D s relative to the OBL depth h. At the time of maximum winds, large-scale vigorous coherent cells develop on the right-hand side of the storm under the inertially rotating winds; the Stokes drift velocity is well tuned to the surface winds. Much weaker cells develop on the left-hand side of the storm, partly because of reduced Stokes production. With misaligned winds and waves the vertical momentum fluxes can be counter to the gradient of Stokes drift, and the cell orientation tracks the direction of the mean Lagrangian shear. The entrainment flux is increased by 20% and the sea surface temperature is 0.25 K cooler on the right-hand side of the storm in the presence of Langmuir turbulence. Wave effects impact entrainment when the ratio D s /jhj . 0.75. Because of wind-wave asymmetry Langmuir cells add quantitatively to the left-right asymmetry already understood for hurricanes due to resonance. And the transient evolution of the OBL cannot be understood simply in terms of equilibrium snapshots.

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“…Due to their spatial and temporal flexibilities, numerical models are well suited for studying the spectral pattern of waves generated by cyclones (Moon et al [14]; Kumar and Stone [15]; Zhou et al [16]; Fan et al [17]; Kim et al [18]). Zhou et al [16] used WAVEWATCH-III simulation results to study wave fields and the spectral variations produced by Typhoon Damrey that passed over the South China Sea in September 2005.…”

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confidence: 99%

Wave Spectral Patterns during a Historical Cyclone: A Numerical Model for Cyclone Gonu in the Northern Oman Sea

Allahdadi¹,

Chaichitehrani²,

Allahyar³

et al. 2017

OJFD

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The third generation wind-wave model Mike21-SW was used to study spectral characteristics of waves generated by the historical Cyclone Gonu in June 2007 along and off the Iranian coasts on the northern Oman Sea. The model was forced with the cyclone wind field generated using a Holland (1980) model based on cyclone data obtained from the Joint Typhon Warning Center (JTWC). The wave model was calibrated for the northern Oman Sea using bulk and spectral wave data at a station out of the Chabahar Bay. Evolution of directional-frequency spectra during the cyclone was investigated for two locations near the entrance and off the Chabahar Bay. At the offshore station, energy was contributed to the spectrum over an approximately 180 degree directional span that included different local and remotely generated waves. As the cyclone proceeded northwestward, all spectral directions continuously rotated in the clockwise direction at both locations. Frequency spectra at these locations were investigated for four different times corresponding to different locations of Cyclone's eye and were justified using the sea growth parameter of the Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) experiment. Using the modified JONSWAP parameters for hurricane conditions resulted in a frequency spectrum consistent with simulation results.

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Numerical Simulations and Observations of Surface Wave Fields under an Extreme Tropical Cyclone

Cited by 120 publications

References 31 publications

Langmuir Turbulence under Hurricane Gustav (2008)

Langmuir Turbulence under Hurricane Gustav (2008)

Transient Evolution of Langmuir Turbulence in Ocean Boundary Layers Driven by Hurricane Winds and Waves

Wave Spectral Patterns during a Historical Cyclone: A Numerical Model for Cyclone Gonu in the Northern Oman Sea

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