7Tropical Observations, Analysis, and Implications from Tropical Cyclone Landfalls in a Near-Shore Environment

Real-time near-surface data collected via portable instrumented stations outfitted and deployed to measure meteorological variables by a team of university students, staff, and professors during hurricane landfalls within 20 km of the coastline in varying upwind ocean and terrain conditions are analyzed with regards to the far-reaching impacts on hurricane wind and water forecasting and impacts to coastal wetlands and the built environment. Specifically, boundary layer turbulence parameters are determined from these data using several methods and then used to derive surface roughness. Better understanding of how changes in roughness modify the wind and wave regimes can help improve empirical modeling and forecasts for future tropical cyclone landfalls as well as daily near-coastal forecasts. Analysis will include study from data collected in Hurricane Katrina (2005) at its landfall near Buras, LA in a cooperative effort between academia, the public, and government agencies at multiple levels.