scholarly journals Tip Jets and Barrier Winds: A QuikSCAT Climatology of High Wind Speed Events around Greenland

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 3713-3725 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. W. K. Moore ◽  
I. A. Renfrew

Abstract The high topography of Greenland results in a number of orographically induced high wind speed flows along its coast that are of interest from both a severe weather and climate perspective. Here the surface wind field dataset from the NASA–JPL SeaWinds scatterometer on board the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite is used to develop a wintertime climatology of these flows. The high spatial resolution and the twice-daily sampling of the SeaWinds instrument allows for a much more detailed view of the surface winds around Greenland than has been previously possible. Three phenomena stand out as the most distinctive features of the surface wind field during the winter months: the previously identified tip jets and reverse tip jets, as well as the hitherto unrecognized barrier flows along its southeast coast in the vicinity of the Denmark Strait. Peak surface wind speeds associated with these phenomena can be as large as 50 m s−1 with winds over 25 m s−1 occurring approximately 10%–15% of the time at each location. A compositing technique is used to show that each type of flow is the result of an interaction between a synoptic-scale parent cyclone and the high topography of Greenland. In keeping with previous work, it is argued that tip jets are caused by a combination of conservation of the Bernoulli function during orographic descent and acceleration due to flow splitting as stable air passes around Cape Farewell, while barrier winds are a geostrophic response to stable air being forced against high topography. It is proposed that reverse tip jets occur when barrier winds reach the end of the topographic barrier and move from a geostrophic to a gradient wind balance, becoming supergeostrophic as a result of their anticyclonic curvature.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 5563-5577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam H. Monahan

Abstract The statistical predictability of wind speed using Gaussian predictors, relative to the predictability of orthogonal vector wind components, is considered. With the assumption that the vector wind components are Gaussian, analytic expressions for the correlation-based wind speed prediction skill are obtained in terms of the prediction skills of the vector wind components and their statistical moments. It is shown thatat least one of the vector wind components is generally better predicted than the wind speed (often much more so);wind speed predictions constructed from the predictions of vector wind components are more skillful than direct wind speed predictions; andthe linear predictability of wind speed (relative to that of the vector wind components) decreases as the variability in the vector wind increases relative to the mean. These idealized model results are shown to be broadly consistent with linear predictive skills assessed using observed sea surface wind from the SeaWinds scatterometer. Biases in the model predictions are shown to be related to the degree to which vector wind variations are non-Gaussian.



2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 13285-13322 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. Bell ◽  
W. De Bruyn ◽  
S. D. Miller ◽  
B. Ward ◽  
K. Christensen ◽  
...  

Abstract. Shipboard measurements of eddy covariance DMS air/sea fluxes and seawater concentration were carried out in the North Atlantic bloom region in June/July 2011. Gas transfer coefficients (k660) show a linear dependence on mean horizontal wind speed at wind speeds up to 11 m s−1. At higher wind speeds the relationship between k660 and wind speed weakens. At high winds, measured DMS fluxes were lower than predicted based on the linear relationship between wind speed and interfacial stress extrapolated from low to intermediate wind speeds. In contrast, the transfer coefficient for sensible heat did not exhibit this effect. The apparent suppression of air/sea gas flux at higher wind speeds appears to be related to sea state, as determined from shipboard wave measurements. These observations are consistent with the idea that long waves suppress near surface water side turbulence, and decrease interfacial gas transfer. This effect may be more easily observed for DMS than for less soluble gases, such as CO2, because the air/sea exchange of DMS is controlled by interfacial rather than bubble-mediated gas transfer under high wind speed conditions.



2013 ◽  
Vol 655-657 ◽  
pp. 735-739
Author(s):  
Ke Wang ◽  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Yan Bo Hui ◽  
Feng Wang ◽  
Hong Yan Li ◽  
...  

Polarization ratio models are key problem for ocean surface wind field retrieval from HH polarization SAR images. This paper studied deeply on various polarization ratio models, and carried on comparison analysis and error analysis about them. We analyzed influence of incidence angle, azimuth, and wind speed for polarization ratio. By using true measurement of polarization ratio, we statistically valuated ability of various polarization ratio models, and proposed the best choice of polarization ratio models. Our research has guide meaning for using polarization ratio models reasonably.



2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1713-1724
Author(s):  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Changlong Guan ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
Lian Xie

AbstractRecent studies indicate that the cross-polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have the ability of retrieving high wind speed on ocean surface without wind direction input. This study presents a new approach for tropical cyclone (TC) wind speed retrieval utilizing thermal-noise-removed Sentinel-1 dual-polarization (VV + VH) Extra-Wide Swath (EW) Mode products. Based on 20 images of 9 TCs observed in the 2016 and 2018 and SAR-collocated European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) fifth-generation reanalysis (ERA5) data and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Research Division’s (HRD) Real-time Hurricane Wind Analysis System (H*Wind) data, a subswath-based geophysical model function (GMF) Sentinel-1 EW Mode Wind Speed Retrieval Model after Noise Removal (S1EW.NR) is developed and validated statistically. TC wind speed is retrieved by using the proposed GMF and the C-band model 5.N (CMOD5.N). The results show that the wind speeds retrieved by the S1EW.NR model are in good agreement with wind references up to 31 m s−1. The correlation coefficient, bias, and standard deviation between the retrieval results and reference wind speeds are 0.74, −0.11, and 3.54 m s−1, respectively. Comparison of the wind speeds retrieved from both channels suggests that the cross-polarized signal is more suitable for high–wind speed retrieval, indicating the promising capability of cross-polarization SAR for TC monitoring.



2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 11073-11087 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. Bell ◽  
W. De Bruyn ◽  
S. D. Miller ◽  
B. Ward ◽  
K. H. Christensen ◽  
...  

Abstract. Shipboard measurements of eddy covariance dimethylsulfide (DMS) air–sea fluxes and seawater concentration were carried out in the North Atlantic bloom region in June/July 2011. Gas transfer coefficients (k660) show a linear dependence on mean horizontal wind speed at wind speeds up to 11 m s−1. At higher wind speeds the relationship between k660 and wind speed weakens. At high winds, measured DMS fluxes were lower than predicted based on the linear relationship between wind speed and interfacial stress extrapolated from low to intermediate wind speeds. In contrast, the transfer coefficient for sensible heat did not exhibit this effect. The apparent suppression of air–sea gas flux at higher wind speeds appears to be related to sea state, as determined from shipboard wave measurements. These observations are consistent with the idea that long waves suppress near-surface water-side turbulence, and decrease interfacial gas transfer. This effect may be more easily observed for DMS than for less soluble gases, such as CO2, because the air–sea exchange of DMS is controlled by interfacial rather than bubble-mediated gas transfer under high wind speed conditions.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Platonov ◽  
Mikhail Varentsov

<p>Detailed long-term hydrometeorological dataset for Russian Arctic seas was created using hydrodynamic modelling via regional nonhydrostatic atmospheric model COSMO-CLM for 1980 – 2016 period with ~12 km grid. Many test experiments with different model options for summertime and wintertime periods were evaluated to determine the best model configuration. Verification has showed that optimal model setup included usage of ERA-Interim reanalysis as forcing data, new model version 5.05 with a so-called ICON-based physics and spectral nudging technique. Final long-term experiments were simulated on the MSU Supercomputer Complex “Lomonosov-2” become more than 120 Tb data volume excluding many side files.</p><p>Primary evaluation of obtained dataset was done for surface wind and temperature variables. There are some mesoscale details in wind sped climatology reproduced by COSMO-CLM dataset including the Svalbard, Severnaya Zemlya islands, and the western coast of the Novaya Zemlya island. At the same time, high wind speed frequencies based on COSMO-CLM data increased compared to ERA-Interim, especially over Barents Sea, Arctic islands (Novaya Zemlya) and some seacoasts and mainland areas. Regional details are manifested in wind speed increase and marked well for large lakes and orography (Taymyr and Kola peninsulas, Eastern Siberia highlands).</p><p>Comparison of two periods (1980 ­­– 1990 and 2010 – 2016) has shown that spatial distributions of high wind speed frequencies are very similar, but there are some detailed differences. Wind speed frequencies above 20.8 m/s has been decreased in the last decade over the Novaya Zemlya, southwest from Svalbard, middle Siberia inlands; however, it has been increased over Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya.</p><p>Large-scale temperature climatology patterns have shown a good accordance between ERA-Interim and COSMO-CLM datasets. Significant temperature patterns are detailed relief and lakes manifestations, e.g., over Scandinavian mountains, Eastern Siberian and Taymyr highlands, Novaya Zemlya ranges. The added value in the 1% temperature percentile patterns is more pronounced, especially in the mountainous Eastern Siberia. Regional features are prominent over Onega and Ladoga lakes, and western Kara Sea. There is a remarkable warming over islands and Eastern Siberia valleys, and more clear temperature differentiation between ridges and valleys.</p><p>The nearest prospect of the COSMO-CLM Russian Arctic dataset application is its comparison with other appropriate datasets including reanalyses, satellite data, observations, etc. This will provide important and useful information about opportunities and restrictions of this dataset regarding different variables and specific regions, outline the limits of its applicability and get framework of possible tasks. The other important task is to share this dataset with scientific community.</p>



2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley W. Klotz ◽  
David S. Nolan

Surface wind speeds in tropical cyclones are important for defining current intensity and intensification. Traditionally, airborne observations provide the best information about the surface wind speeds, with the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) providing a key role in obtaining such data. However, the flight patterns conducted by hurricane hunter aircraft are limited in their azimuthal coverage of the surface wind field, resulting in an undersampling of the wind field and consequent underestimation of the peak 10-m wind speed. A previous study provided quantitative estimates of the average underestimate for a very strong hurricane. However, no broader guidance on applying a correction based on undersampling has been presented in detail. To accomplish this task, a modified observing system simulation experiment with five hurricane simulations is used to perform a statistical evaluation of the peak wind speed underestimate over different stages of the tropical cyclone life cycle. Analysis of numerous simulated flights highlights prominent relationships between wind speed undersampling and storm size, where size is defined by the radius of maximum wind speed (RMW). For example, an intense hurricane with small RMW needs negligible correction, while a large-RMW tropical storm requires a 16%–19% change. A lookup table of undersampling correction factors as a function of peak SFMR wind speed and RMW is provided to assist the tropical cyclone operations community. Implications for hurricane best track intensity estimates are also discussed using real data from past Atlantic hurricane seasons.



Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3392
Author(s):  
Mingxing Li ◽  
Ruifeng Kan ◽  
Yabai He ◽  
Jianguo Liu ◽  
Zhenyu Xu ◽  
...  

We report the development of a laser gas analyzer that measures gas concentrations at a data rate of 100 Hz. This fast data rate helps eddy covariance calculations for gas fluxes in turbulent high wind speed environments. The laser gas analyzer is based on derivative laser absorption spectroscopy and set for measurements of water vapor (H2O, at wavelength ~1392 nm) and carbon dioxide (CO2, at ~2004 nm). This instrument, in combination with an ultrasonic anemometer, has been tested experimentally in both marine and terrestrial environments. First, we compared the accuracy of results between the laser gas analyzer and a high-quality commercial instrument with a max data rate of 20 Hz. We then analyzed and compared the correlation of H2O flux results at data rates of 100 Hz and 20 Hz in both high and low wind speeds to verify the contribution of high frequency components. The measurement results show that the contribution of 100 Hz data rate to flux calculations is about 11% compared to that measured with 20 Hz data rate, in an environment with wind speed of ~10 m/s. Therefore, it shows that the laser gas analyzer with high detection frequency is more suitable for measurements in high wind speed environments.



2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 876-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Kossin ◽  
Matthew Sitkowski

Abstract Hurricanes, and particularly major hurricanes, will often organize a secondary eyewall at some distance around the primary eyewall. These events have been associated with marked changes in the intensity and structure of the inner core, such as large and rapid deviations of the maximum wind and significant broadening of the surface wind field. While the consequences of rapidly fluctuating peak wind speeds are of great importance, the broadening of the overall wind field also has particularly dangerous consequences in terms of increased storm surge and wind damage extent during landfall events. Despite the importance of secondary eyewall formation in hurricane forecasting, there is presently no objective guidance to diagnose or forecast these events. Here a new empirical model is introduced that will provide forecasters with a probability of imminent secondary eyewall formation. The model is based on environmental and geostationary satellite features applied to a naïve Bayes probabilistic model and classification scheme. In independent testing, the algorithm performs skillfully against a defined climatology.



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