ENSO-induced co-variability of Salinity, Plankton Biomass and Coastal Currents in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Details

• Journal Title:
  Scientific Reports
• Personal Author:
  Gomez, Fabian A. ; Lee, Sang-Ki ; Hernandez, Frank J. ; Chiaverano, Luciano M. ; Muller-Karger, Frank E. ; Liu, Yanyun ; Lamkin, John T.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) ; NWS (National Weather Service) ; AOML (Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory) ; OST (Office of Science and Technology) ; JPSS (Joint Polar Satellite System Program Office)O ; OMB (Office of Management and Budget) ; OBS (Office of Observations) ; NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) ; CIRA (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere) ; CIMSS (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies) ; NGI (Northern Gulf Institute)
• Description:
  This study investigates the role of the parameterized boundary layer structure in hurricane intensity change using two retrospective HWRF forecasts of Hurricane Earl (2010) in which the vertical eddy diffusivity K-m was modified during physics upgrades. Earl undergoes rapid intensification (RI) in the low-K-m forecast as observed in nature, while it weakens briefly before resuming a slow intensification at the RI onset in the high-K-m forecast. Angular momentum budget analysis suggests that K-m modulates the convergence of angular momentum in the boundary layer, which is a key component of the hurricane spinup dynamics. Reducing K-m in the boundary layer causes enhancement of both the inflow and convergence, which in turn leads to stronger and more symmetric deep convection in the low-K-m forecast than in the high-K-m forecast. The deeper and stronger hurricane vortex with lower static stability in the low-K-m forecast is more resilient to shear than that in the high-K-m forecast. With a smaller vortex tilt in the low-K-m forecast, downdrafts associated with the vortex tilt are reduced, bringing less low-entropy air from the midlevels to the boundary layer, resulting in a less stable boundary layer. Future physics upgrades in operational hurricane models should consider this chain of multiscale interactions to assess their impact on model RI forecasts.
• Source:
  Scientific Reports, 9, 178.
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36655-y
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Rights Information:
  CC BY
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:4fa754699c7f8060f49810fe15659e4778017e992fb63ea598aead306611ae25
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/20125/noaa_20125_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.72 MB ]