A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure
Part I of this work develops a simple model for the complete radial structure of the low-level tropical cyclone wind field. The model is constructed by mathematically merging existing theoretical solutions for the radial wind structure at the top of the boundary layer in the inner ascending and oute...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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American Meteorological Society
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102086 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2066-2082 |
| _version_ | 1811087300733435904 |
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| author | Chavas, Daniel R. Lin, Ning Emanuel, Kerry Andrew |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Chavas, Daniel R. Lin, Ning Emanuel, Kerry Andrew |
| author_sort | Chavas, Daniel R. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Part I of this work develops a simple model for the complete radial structure of the low-level tropical cyclone wind field. The model is constructed by mathematically merging existing theoretical solutions for the radial wind structure at the top of the boundary layer in the inner ascending and outer descending regions. The model is then compared with two observational datasets. First, the outer solution is compared with a global database from the QuikSCAT satellite (1999–2009) and found to reproduce the characteristic wind structure of the broad outer region of tropical cyclones at large radii, indicating that the solution successfully captures the physics of this region. Second, the inner solution is compared with the HWind database (2004–12) for the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins and is shown to be capable of reproducing the inner-core structure while substantially underestimating wind speeds at larger radii. The complete model is then shown to largely, though not entirely, rectify this underestimation. Limitations of the model are discussed, including the need for a formal evaluation of the physics of the inner core as well as a transition-region model at intermediate radii characterized by intermittent convection, such as spiral rainbands. Part II will characterize the model’s modes of wind field variability and their relationship to the variability observed in nature. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:43:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/102086 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:43:39Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | American Meteorological Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1020862022-09-28T15:48:35Z A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure Chavas, Daniel R. Lin, Ning Emanuel, Kerry Andrew Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Emanuel, Kerry Andrew Part I of this work develops a simple model for the complete radial structure of the low-level tropical cyclone wind field. The model is constructed by mathematically merging existing theoretical solutions for the radial wind structure at the top of the boundary layer in the inner ascending and outer descending regions. The model is then compared with two observational datasets. First, the outer solution is compared with a global database from the QuikSCAT satellite (1999–2009) and found to reproduce the characteristic wind structure of the broad outer region of tropical cyclones at large radii, indicating that the solution successfully captures the physics of this region. Second, the inner solution is compared with the HWind database (2004–12) for the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins and is shown to be capable of reproducing the inner-core structure while substantially underestimating wind speeds at larger radii. The complete model is then shown to largely, though not entirely, rectify this underestimation. Limitations of the model are discussed, including the need for a formal evaluation of the physics of the inner core as well as a transition-region model at intermediate radii characterized by intermittent convection, such as spiral rainbands. Part II will characterize the model’s modes of wind field variability and their relationship to the variability observed in nature. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award AGS-1331362) National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award AGS-1032244) 2016-04-01T20:20:46Z 2016-04-01T20:20:46Z 2015-09 2015-06 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0022-4928 1520-0469 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102086 Chavas, Daniel R., Ning Lin, and Kerry Emanuel. “A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure.” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 72, no. 9 (September 2015): 3647–3662. © 2015 American Meteorological Society https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2066-2082 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-15-0014.1 Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Meteorological Society American Meteorological Society |
| spellingShingle | Chavas, Daniel R. Lin, Ning Emanuel, Kerry Andrew A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure |
| title | A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure |
| title_full | A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure |
| title_fullStr | A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure |
| title_short | A Model for the Complete Radial Structure of the Tropical Cyclone Wind Field. Part I: Comparison with Observed Structure |
| title_sort | model for the complete radial structure of the tropical cyclone wind field part i comparison with observed structure |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102086 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2066-2082 |
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