Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer
This study presents a verification and an analysis of wind profile data collected during Tropical Storm Erika (2015) by a Doppler Wind Lidar (DWL) instrument aboard a P3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). DWL-measured winds are compared to those...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-05-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/6/825 |
| _version_ | 1819294319913205760 |
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| author | Jun A. Zhang Robert Atlas G. David Emmitt Lisa Bucci Kelly Ryan |
| author_facet | Jun A. Zhang Robert Atlas G. David Emmitt Lisa Bucci Kelly Ryan |
| author_sort | Jun A. Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents a verification and an analysis of wind profile data collected during Tropical Storm Erika (2015) by a Doppler Wind Lidar (DWL) instrument aboard a P3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). DWL-measured winds are compared to those from nearly collocated GPS dropsondes, and show good agreement in terms of both the wind magnitude and asymmetric distribution of the wind field. A comparison of the DWL-measured wind speeds versus dropsonde-measured wind speeds yields a reasonably good correlation (r2 = 0.95), with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.58 m s−1 and a bias of −0.023 m s−1. Our analysis shows that the DWL complements the existing P3 Doppler radar, in that it collects wind data in rain-free and low-rain regions where Doppler radar is limited for wind observations. The DWL observations also complement dropsonde measurements by significantly enlarging the sampling size and spatial coverage of the boundary layer winds. An analysis of the DWL wind data shows that the boundary layer of Erika was much deeper than that of a typical hurricane-strength storm. Streamline and vorticity analyses based on DWL wind observations explain why Erika maintained intensity in a sheared environment. This study suggests that DWL wind data are valuable for real-time intensity forecasts, basic understanding of the boundary layer structure and dynamics, and offshore wind energy applications under tropical cyclone conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:24:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d512f07deb60444792141d4777977d43 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:24:26Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-d512f07deb60444792141d4777977d432022-12-21T17:15:40ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922018-05-0110682510.3390/rs10060825rs10060825Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary LayerJun A. Zhang0Robert Atlas1G. David Emmitt2Lisa Bucci3Kelly Ryan4Hurricane Research Division, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USAAtlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA, Miami, FL 33149, USASimpson Weather Associates, Charlottesville, VA 22920, USAHurricane Research Division, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USAHurricane Research Division, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USAThis study presents a verification and an analysis of wind profile data collected during Tropical Storm Erika (2015) by a Doppler Wind Lidar (DWL) instrument aboard a P3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). DWL-measured winds are compared to those from nearly collocated GPS dropsondes, and show good agreement in terms of both the wind magnitude and asymmetric distribution of the wind field. A comparison of the DWL-measured wind speeds versus dropsonde-measured wind speeds yields a reasonably good correlation (r2 = 0.95), with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.58 m s−1 and a bias of −0.023 m s−1. Our analysis shows that the DWL complements the existing P3 Doppler radar, in that it collects wind data in rain-free and low-rain regions where Doppler radar is limited for wind observations. The DWL observations also complement dropsonde measurements by significantly enlarging the sampling size and spatial coverage of the boundary layer winds. An analysis of the DWL wind data shows that the boundary layer of Erika was much deeper than that of a typical hurricane-strength storm. Streamline and vorticity analyses based on DWL wind observations explain why Erika maintained intensity in a sheared environment. This study suggests that DWL wind data are valuable for real-time intensity forecasts, basic understanding of the boundary layer structure and dynamics, and offshore wind energy applications under tropical cyclone conditions.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/6/825tropical cyclonesDoppler Wind Lidaratmospheric boundary layerwind structure |
| spellingShingle | Jun A. Zhang Robert Atlas G. David Emmitt Lisa Bucci Kelly Ryan Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer Remote Sensing tropical cyclones Doppler Wind Lidar atmospheric boundary layer wind structure |
| title | Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer |
| title_full | Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer |
| title_fullStr | Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer |
| title_short | Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Observations of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer |
| title_sort | airborne doppler wind lidar observations of the tropical cyclone boundary layer |
| topic | tropical cyclones Doppler Wind Lidar atmospheric boundary layer wind structure |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/6/825 |
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