Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast
Extreme weather events such as hurricanes are expected to become more severe with the human-induced increase in average global temperatures, exacerbating the risk of major damage. Efforts to predict these events typically require detailed hydrodynamic data that are difficult to collect in the field....
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/11/1722 |
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| author | Angélica Romero-Arteaga Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu Bernardo Esquivel-Trava |
| author_facet | Angélica Romero-Arteaga Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu Bernardo Esquivel-Trava |
| author_sort | Angélica Romero-Arteaga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Extreme weather events such as hurricanes are expected to become more severe with the human-induced increase in average global temperatures, exacerbating the risk of major damage. Efforts to predict these events typically require detailed hydrodynamic data that are difficult to collect in the field. Here, nearshore data collected with three ADCP moorings were used to describe the hydrodynamics induced by Hurricane Harvey along the southern Texas coast. Wave spectra and nearshore current variations were analyzed along the hurricane’s trajectory and compared to other offshore locations. The results indicate that winds intensified along the coast as Harvey approached the Port Aransas coastline. Southerly wind stresses of ~−0.9 Nm<sup>−2</sup> generated ~2 ms<sup>−1</sup> depth-averaged flows towards the southwest close to landfall in the north, while flows of ~1 ms<sup>−1</sup> and <1 ms<sup>−1</sup> were measured in the center and the south of the study site, respectively. The hydrodynamics induced by the hurricane were compared to those induced by an intense synoptic-scale cold front (CF). Both events generated southward-directed alongshore wind stresses of similar magnitudes (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>τ</mi><mi>y</mi></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> ~−0.4 Nm<sup>−2</sup>) that caused similar depth-averaged flows (0.5 to 0.7 ms<sup>−1</sup>) and wave energy conditions (H<sub>s</sub> of ~4 m) in the south. Harvey caused extremely energetic conditions close to landfall in the north compared to the CF; depth-averaged flows and H<sub>s</sub> of 2 ms<sup>−1</sup> and 10 m were induced by Harvey, as opposed to 0.6 ms<sup>−1</sup> and 4 m by the CF, respectively. While intense currents (>1 ms<sup>−1</sup>) and waves (H<sub>s</sub> > 4 m) lasted for less than a day during Harvey, these persisted a few days longer during the CF. This study highlights the relevant role of synoptic-scale cold fronts in modulating the nearshore hydrodynamics, which occur more frequently than tropical cyclones in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:14:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-59f941bea10043058f9fb741fe7bac33 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:14:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-59f941bea10043058f9fb741fe7bac332023-11-24T08:51:49ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122022-11-011011172210.3390/jmse10111722Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas CoastAngélica Romero-Arteaga0Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu1Bernardo Esquivel-Trava2Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, MexicoInstituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, MexicoDepartamento de Oceanografía Física, CICESE, Ensenada 22860, MexicoExtreme weather events such as hurricanes are expected to become more severe with the human-induced increase in average global temperatures, exacerbating the risk of major damage. Efforts to predict these events typically require detailed hydrodynamic data that are difficult to collect in the field. Here, nearshore data collected with three ADCP moorings were used to describe the hydrodynamics induced by Hurricane Harvey along the southern Texas coast. Wave spectra and nearshore current variations were analyzed along the hurricane’s trajectory and compared to other offshore locations. The results indicate that winds intensified along the coast as Harvey approached the Port Aransas coastline. Southerly wind stresses of ~−0.9 Nm<sup>−2</sup> generated ~2 ms<sup>−1</sup> depth-averaged flows towards the southwest close to landfall in the north, while flows of ~1 ms<sup>−1</sup> and <1 ms<sup>−1</sup> were measured in the center and the south of the study site, respectively. The hydrodynamics induced by the hurricane were compared to those induced by an intense synoptic-scale cold front (CF). Both events generated southward-directed alongshore wind stresses of similar magnitudes (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>τ</mi><mi>y</mi></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> ~−0.4 Nm<sup>−2</sup>) that caused similar depth-averaged flows (0.5 to 0.7 ms<sup>−1</sup>) and wave energy conditions (H<sub>s</sub> of ~4 m) in the south. Harvey caused extremely energetic conditions close to landfall in the north compared to the CF; depth-averaged flows and H<sub>s</sub> of 2 ms<sup>−1</sup> and 10 m were induced by Harvey, as opposed to 0.6 ms<sup>−1</sup> and 4 m by the CF, respectively. While intense currents (>1 ms<sup>−1</sup>) and waves (H<sub>s</sub> > 4 m) lasted for less than a day during Harvey, these persisted a few days longer during the CF. This study highlights the relevant role of synoptic-scale cold fronts in modulating the nearshore hydrodynamics, which occur more frequently than tropical cyclones in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/11/1722hydrodynamicsextreme eventscold frontsfield measurementsGulf of Mexico |
| spellingShingle | Angélica Romero-Arteaga Amaia Ruiz de Alegría-Arzaburu Bernardo Esquivel-Trava Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast Journal of Marine Science and Engineering hydrodynamics extreme events cold fronts field measurements Gulf of Mexico |
| title | Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast |
| title_full | Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast |
| title_fullStr | Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast |
| title_short | Spatial Variability of Surface Waves and Nearshore Currents Induced by Hurricane Harvey along the Southern Texas Coast |
| title_sort | spatial variability of surface waves and nearshore currents induced by hurricane harvey along the southern texas coast |
| topic | hydrodynamics extreme events cold fronts field measurements Gulf of Mexico |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/11/1722 |
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