On the Influence of Oceanic Variability on Air-Sea Heat Fluxes and Boundary Layer Recovery in Hurricanes

影响飓风迅速加剧的控制因素仍然是科学和预测方面的不确定性。在这个奖项中，研究小组将使用观测数据来测试一种新的理论，该理论关于飓风生命周期中导致这些风暴迅速加强的关键时期中空气和海洋之间的相互作用。由于准确预测飓风强度变化的重要性，该项目具有直接的社会意义。该项目还将为研究生提供计划、组织和执行实地实验的机会。该奖项是对热带气旋(TCS)中与垂直切变和海洋特征相关的海气耦合作用的关键热力学过程的研究。主要的概念理论是，在快速加强过程中，由于加强了水汽不平衡和强烈的表面热通量，海洋热含量高和海面冷却最少的地区对热带气旋施加了局部浮力强迫。这一过程导致了大气边界层等效位温的快速和持续恢复。为了验证这一假设，PI团队将使用在以前的TCS期间收集的数据，并在项目期间与NOAA合作参与新的数据收集。具体的研究目标是：1)综合现场大气、海洋资料和卫星SST资料，计算选定的大西洋盆地飓风期间的海气温湿不平衡、海气热通量和大气边界层等效位温的恢复；2)通过在风暴通过期间同时部署海洋和大气廓线，观测和了解热带气旋强度变化过程中的海气相互作用；3)建立一个框架，用海洋和大气参数描述选定的TC的海气相互作用和风暴强度变化的时间和空间尺度。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The controlling factors that impact the rapid intensification of hurricanes remain a scientific and forecasting uncertainty. In this award, the research team will use observational data to test a new theory about the interaction between the air and sea during the key periods in the hurricane life-cycle that lead to rapid strengthening of these storms. The project has direct societal relevance due to the importance of accurate forecasts of hurricane intensity changes. The project will also provide graduate students with the opportunity to plan, organize, and execute a field experiment. This award is for the investigation of key thermodynamics processes of coupled air-sea interaction in tropical cyclones (TCs) relative to vertical shear and oceanic features. The main conceptual theory is that areas with high oceanic heat content and minimal sea surface cooling exert localized buoyancy forcing on TCs during rapid intensification due to enhanced moisture disequilibrium and intense surface heat fluxes. This process leads to a rapid and sustained recovery of the atmospheric boundary layer equivalent potential temperature. To test this hypothesis, the PI team will use data collected during prior TCs and participate in new data collection in collaboration with NOAA during the period of the project. The specific research objectives are to: 1) Synthesize in-situ atmospheric and oceanographic data and satellite SST data, and compute air-sea temperature and moisture disequilibrium, bulk air-sea heat fluxes, and recovery of atmospheric boundary layer equivalent potential temperature during selected Atlantic-basin hurricanes, focusing on previous data acquired over various levels of OHC and upper-ocean stratification; 2) Observe and understand the air-sea interaction during TC intensity change over warm oceanic eddy regimes by simultaneously deploying oceanic and atmospheric profilers during storm passage; and 3) Develop a framework for characterizing the temporal and spatial scales of variability of the air-sea interaction and storm intensity for the selected TCs in terms of oceanic and atmospheric parameters.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.