In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes
Abstract Recent studies have suggested that the structure of tropical cyclones (TCs), especially the upper‐level clouds as indicated by satellite infrared brightness temperatures and precipitation, fluctuates with the diurnal cycle. The diurnal cycle of the low‐level structure, including the boundar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086206 |
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| author | Jun A. Zhang Jason P. Dunion David S. Nolan |
| author_facet | Jun A. Zhang Jason P. Dunion David S. Nolan |
| author_sort | Jun A. Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Recent studies have suggested that the structure of tropical cyclones (TCs), especially the upper‐level clouds as indicated by satellite infrared brightness temperatures and precipitation, fluctuates with the diurnal cycle. The diurnal cycle of the low‐level structure, including the boundary layer, has not yet been investigated with observations. This study analyzes data from 2242 GPS dropsondes collected in mature hurricanes to investigate the diurnal variation of the mean boundary layer structure. A composite analysis is conducted to compare the kinematic and thermodynamic structure during nighttime (0–6 local time) vs in the afternoon (12–18 local time). The composites show that much stronger inflow occurs during nighttime and the moist entropy is also larger than that in the daytime. Grouping the dropsonde data into 6‐h time windows relative to the local time shows a clear diurnal signal of boundary layer inflow. The amplitude of the diurnal signal is largest at a radius of 250–500 km. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-73cc8cbb429f4e7f9454e845f2658b9f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-73cc8cbb429f4e7f9454e845f2658b9f2025-08-20T02:31:27ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072020-02-01473n/an/a10.1029/2019GL086206In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature HurricanesJun A. Zhang0Jason P. Dunion1David S. Nolan2Hurricane Research Division NOAA/AOML Miami FL USAHurricane Research Division NOAA/AOML Miami FL USADepartment of Atmospheric Sciences University of Miami Miami FL USAAbstract Recent studies have suggested that the structure of tropical cyclones (TCs), especially the upper‐level clouds as indicated by satellite infrared brightness temperatures and precipitation, fluctuates with the diurnal cycle. The diurnal cycle of the low‐level structure, including the boundary layer, has not yet been investigated with observations. This study analyzes data from 2242 GPS dropsondes collected in mature hurricanes to investigate the diurnal variation of the mean boundary layer structure. A composite analysis is conducted to compare the kinematic and thermodynamic structure during nighttime (0–6 local time) vs in the afternoon (12–18 local time). The composites show that much stronger inflow occurs during nighttime and the moist entropy is also larger than that in the daytime. Grouping the dropsonde data into 6‐h time windows relative to the local time shows a clear diurnal signal of boundary layer inflow. The amplitude of the diurnal signal is largest at a radius of 250–500 km.https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086206tropical cyclonediurnal cycleboundary layermature hurricane |
| spellingShingle | Jun A. Zhang Jason P. Dunion David S. Nolan In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes Geophysical Research Letters tropical cyclone diurnal cycle boundary layer mature hurricane |
| title | In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes |
| title_full | In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes |
| title_fullStr | In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes |
| title_full_unstemmed | In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes |
| title_short | In Situ Observations of the Diurnal Variation in the Boundary Layer of Mature Hurricanes |
| title_sort | in situ observations of the diurnal variation in the boundary layer of mature hurricanes |
| topic | tropical cyclone diurnal cycle boundary layer mature hurricane |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086206 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT junazhang insituobservationsofthediurnalvariationintheboundarylayerofmaturehurricanes AT jasonpdunion insituobservationsofthediurnalvariationintheboundarylayerofmaturehurricanes AT davidsnolan insituobservationsofthediurnalvariationintheboundarylayerofmaturehurricanes |