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UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I LIBRARY HELICAL CIRCULATIONS IN THE TYPHOON BOUNDARY LAYER A THESIS SUBMITIED TO THE GRADUATE DMSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN METEOROLOGY AUGUST 2008 By Ryan T. Ellis Thesis Committee: Steven Businger, Chairperson Gary Barnes Thomas A. Schroeder We certify that we have read this thesis and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science in Meteorology. TIIESIS COMMITTEE < ~ ft---. ii ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Steven Businger for his guidance throughout this project and his support over the past few years. Dr. Gary Barnes and Dr. Tom Schroeder were a vital part of the editing process. Their guidance along the way has also been greatly appreciated. I am grateful to Peter Dodge for his support with radar analysis software. Countless homs of data processing were done by Jennifer Meehan. Special thanks to Ian Morrison for his advice throughout this study. Level IT WSR-88D data were provided through the National Climatic Data Center. Thanks to Mark Lander and Chip Guard for their hospitality and logistical help during a field visit to Guam. This work was supported under contract from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (#W912HZ- 05-C-0036). ill ABSTRACI' Low-level wind data from the WSR-88D in Guam obtained in Typhoon Dale (1996) and Typhoon Keith (1997) are analyzed for coherent structures. Consistent with the results of previous studies of Atlantic hurricanes, velocity anomalies associated with coherent structures were found in the boundary layer of both storms. Coherent structures that are consistent with roll vortices were documented in 99 total cases during a six-hour evaluation periods dtning each storm. Storm relative roll location, roll vorticity, asymmetries in roll updrafts and downdrafts as well as differences in the upward and downward momentum fluxes associated with roll circulations are addressed in this study. A velocity azimuth display (VAD) technique is used to obtain wind profiles using Doppler velocity data to determine the depth of the roll circulation. My work shows the effects of terrain and convective elements, such as rainbands. on the formation and maintenance of rolls. Finally, signatures of transverse circulations normal to the mean flow are explored. Convergence and divergence patterns and transverse circulations of ~5 m s·\ were observed perpendicular to the mean flow are and presented here. This research supports and extends prior findings of roll observations and theory. The results presented here can be used to help validate theoretical and numerical models of coherent structures within tropical cyclones. Moreover, the wind variations documented in this study have application for wave run-up and the structural wind damage potential in tropical cyclones. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS i\ckJlovvl~eIIlellts .....................•.••.......................................•..................iii i\bstract...•....•...•......••.•.•........................................................•..............•. .iv List of Tables ...•........................................................................................vi L1st· 0 fF·19ures ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• V11.. Chapter 1: Introduction ...........................................................•.............•....... 1 1.1 Previous Studies. .....................................................................•... 1 1.2 Goals•.....••......•.......•••.••••.••••••••..••.••.•.••.......••••••••••..•••.....•.•••••••••• 6 Chapter 2: Data and Methods .........................................................................8 2.1 WSR-88D.......•................•............................•..........................•.•..............•....• 8 2.2 Roll Analysis Methods ....................................................•.....•..•........... _..•..... 8 2.3 Overvievv of Typhoons t\nalyzed. ................................................................ 16 Chapter 3: Results........................................................•..................................................... 19 3.1 Roll Vortices in the Typhoon Boundary Layer............................................. 19 Chapter 4: Conclusions and Future Work. .............................................•.•......................... 27 4.1 Conclusions................................................................................................... 27 4.2 Discussion. .................................................................................................... 29 4.3 Future Work.....................................................................••............•.........•..•. 31 Tables................................................................................................................................. 33 Figures................................................................................•.•......................••.•.•..............••. 35 References.......................................................................................................................... 63 v LIST OF TABLES Table ~ 1. Storm data from Typhoons Dale, Keith and Paka. ................•...............................•.. 33 2. Comparison of results to those of Morrison et aI. (2005) ....•................................... 34 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure ~ 1. Elevation angles and beam width ofWSR-88D.............••..................................... 35 2. Example of V AD method .....................•.................................................•............... .36 3. Example of tracking roll vortices in WSR-88D data .......................................37 4. Exp1anation of positive and negative residuals ................•....................•................•.. 38 5. V AD profiles for Typhoons Dale and Keith with methodology for determining roll depth ....................................................................................................................... 39 6. Reliefmap of Guam showing locations ofWSR-88D radar ..••••••••••••••.•..•••••• .40 7. Map of best tracks for Typhoons Keith, Dale and Paka. .................................... .41 8. Best track minimum sea level pressure trace of Typhoon Dale............•.................•. 42 9. Best track minimum sea level pressure trace of Typhoon Keith. ............................. 43 10. Best track minimum sea level pressure trace of Typhoon Paka. .............................. 44 vii 11. Storm relative roll locations ................................•................................. .45 12. Height and range of observed rolls in Dale and Keith......•....................•................. 46 13. Positive horizontal velocity anomalies .................................................................47 14. Negative horizontal velocity anomalies...................................................................• 48 15. Roll orientation relative to the mean wind. ..............•.....................•....•.................•.. .49 16. Roll wavelength.............•............................................•............................................ .50 17. Vorticity observed in roll vortices ...•...•.•..•.............................................................. .51 18. Roll depth.................................................................................................................. 52 19. Rolls observed per hour in Dale and Keith with associated fetch ............•.............. .53 20. Roll aspect ratio ........................................................................................................ 54 21. Radial and tangential wind velocities from VAD Profiles in Typhoons Dale and Keith. ...................................................................................................................... 55 viii 22. Updraft and downdraft in roll vortices...................................................................... 56 23. Downward momentum flux in roll vortices ...........•.............................................•.... 57 24. Upward momentum flux in roll vortices .......................................•................ _•........ 58 25. Areal-averaged momentum flux in roll vortices ...................................................... 59 26. Reflectivity and residual velocities in rainband and non-rainband situations.......... 60 27. Transverse circulations observed perpendicular to the mean wind. ......................... 61 28. Height and range of along-flow and normal-flow cases of rolls.............................. 63 ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Previous Studies Roll vortices in the planetm:y boundary layer (PBL) have been documented extensively. Early laboratory work (Faller 1965) introduced the idea that dynamical as well as thermal processes may playa role in convection. Faller investigated the possibility that shear flow in the atmosphere may cause convective motions not associated with thermal processes. He concluded that an adiabatic atmospheric boundary layer should contain large eddies with a wavelength of -1-2 km in the form of roll vortices, and this roll-vortex structure should occur for a large range of conditions due to an approximately constant turbulent Reynolds number. A numerical integration of the equations of motion was evaluated to obtain critical values of a Reynolds number for laminar Ekman flow (Faller and Kaylor 1966). Early observational