Ocean Surface Winds Research Summary: Meteorological Applications

1. Ocean Surface Winds Research Summary: Meteorological Applications Mark DeMaria, NOAA/NESDIS, Fort Collins, CO Ocean Surface Winds Workshop NCEP/Tropical Prediction Center June 5-7, 2006

2. Sources for Research Summary • Current research at CIRA • 2006 AMS Satellite Conference • 2006 AMS Tropical Conference • 2006 AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting • Journals • 2005-2009 NASA Ocean Vector Winds Science Team funded projects summary

3. Meteorological Research Categories • Tropical Cyclone formation • Tropical Cyclone wind structure analysis • Mesoscale wind structure • PBL and air-sea interactions • Extra-tropical cyclone, frontal wind structure • Synoptic to inter-seasonal oscillations • ITCZ breakdown • Monsoon • MJO • Topics not considered: • Algorithm development, ocean and climate studies, data assimilation and NWP

4. Tropical Cyclone Genesis • Katsaros 2001, GRL • Demonstrated utility of QuikSCAT for early identification of Tropical Depressions • Sharp 2002, BAMS • Vorticity method for identifying TC formation • Hite and Bourassa 2006, AMS Trop. Conf. • Extension of Sharp method, rain/wind signal regimes

5. Surface Vorticity Signatures Prior to Official Designation as a TC (From D. Sharp, et al 2002)

6. TC Wind Structure Analysis • Hennon 2006, AMS Sat Conf • Utility of QuikSCAT for outer wind field • Bessho 2006, JAMC • Use of QuikSCAT for low level wind surface adjustments • Knaff 2006, AMS Sat Conf • Multi-platform surface wind analysis • Jelenak 2006, AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting • Windsat/QuikSCAT comparisons • Maclay 2006, AMS Trop Conf • Outer wind structure and TC intensity change

7. Hennon 2006 Evaluation of QuikSCAT For Hurricane Fabian HRD H*Wind as ground truth

8. Bessho 2006 Compare QuikSCAT and 850 mb AMSU retrievals for low level to sfc wind adjustments

9. Knaff 2006: Multi-Satellite TC Surface Wind Analysis

10. Maclay 2006: Relationship between storm size and intensity change KE’> 0 Favors weakening Outer winds higher KE’< 0 Favors intensification Outer winds lower

11. Mesoscale Weather Applications • Chelton 2000 MWR • Documentation of surface jets in Central America using NSCAT

12. Mesoscale Weather Applications McNoldy 2006 AMS Tropical Conference Diurnal variations of sfc Wind and SST during the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME)

13. PBL, Synoptic Interactions • R. Foster 1999, JGR • Use NSCAT winds to evaluate baroclinic effects on PBL winds and fluxes • Significant relationship that can be used in opposite direction

14. Mid-Latitude Weather Applications T. Lee 2006AMS Sat ConfCombined use of WindSat winds, TPW and CLW for frontal identification

15. ITCZ Studies • Wang and Magnusdottir 2006, MWR • PV structure important for ITCZ evolution • Ocean surface winds help document observed vorticity structure

16. MJO Analysis with QuikSCAT • Arquez 2005, JOAT • QuikSCAT time series analysis • Amplitude is larger than expected from NCEP re-analysis fields Amplitude Difference Between NCEP and QuikSCAT MJO Signal

17. Future DirectionsSummary of Funded Projects from NASA Ocean Science Winds Team (2005-2009) • Global NWP • Mesoscale and synoptic scale interaction • Coastal/orographic influences • Inter-seasonal variability, monsoons • Climate variability • Validation and algorithm studies • Advanced instrument studies with aircraft • Improve coastal methods • Hurricane algorithms • Surface pressure retrievals • South America water cycles

18. Summary • Ocean surface winds used in wide variety of meteorological research • mesoscale to global scale • Diurnal to climate time scales • Rain attenuation mentioned as a serious problem in many applications • Spatial resolution is limitation for some mesoscale studies • Tropical cyclones, coastal effects