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Hurricane Directional Wave Spectrum Spatial Variation in the Open Ocean and at LandfallThe sea surface directional wave spectrum was measured for the first time in all quadrants of a hurricane in open water using the NASA scanning radar altimeter (SRA) carried aboard one of the NOAA WP-3D hurricane research aircraft at 1.5 kilometer height. The SRA measures the energetic portion of the directional wave spectrum by generating a topographic map of the sea surface. The data were acquired on 24 August 1998 when Hurricane Bonnie was 400 km east of Abaco Island, Bahamas. Individual waves with heights up to 19 meters were observed and the spatial variation of the wave field was dramatic. The dominant waves generally propagated at significant angles to the downwind direction. At one position, three different wave systems of comparable energy and wavelength crossed each other. The aircraft spent over five hours within 180 kilometers of the Hurricane Bonnie eye and made five eye penetrations. On 26 August 1998, the SRA at 2.2 kilometer height documented the directional wave spectrum in the region between Charleston, SC, and Cape Hatteras, NC, as Hurricane Bonnie was making landfall near Wilmington, NC. The storm was similar in size during the two flights, but the maximum speed in the NOAA Hurricane Research Division surface wind analysis was 15% lower prior to landfall (39 meters per second) than it had been in the open ocean (46 meters per second). This was compensated for by its faster movement prior to landfall (9.5 meters per second) than when it was encountered in the open ocean (5 meters per second), significantly increasing the effective fetch and duration of waves near the peak of the spectrum which propagated in the direction of the storm track. The open ocean wave height variation indicated that Hurricane Bonnie would have produced waves of 11 meters significant wave height on the shore northeast of Wilmington had it not been for the continental shelf. The bathymetry distributed the steepening and breaking process across the shelf so that the wavelength and wave height were reduced gradually as the shore was approached. The wave height 5 kilometers from shore was about 4 meters.
Document ID
20020022890
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Walsh, E. J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Wright, C. W.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Vandemark, D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Krabill, W. B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Garcia, A. W.
(Army Engineer Research and Development Center Vicksburg, MS United States)
Houston, S. H.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Miami, FL United States)
Murillo, S. T.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Miami, FL United States)
Powell, M. D.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Miami, FL United States)
Black, P. G.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Miami, FL United States)
Marks, F. D.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Miami, FL United States)
Zukor, Dorothy J.
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2001
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: Oceanogr. Scientific Conference
Location: Miami, FL
Country: United States
Start Date: April 3, 2001
End Date: April 5, 2001
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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