The development of QuikSCAT-derived surface vorticity during tropical cyclogenesis

Traditional surface and upper-air observations are often absent over the tropical oceans, and outside special field programs, this lack of in-situ measurements has limited observational studies of tropical cyclogenesis. Remote sensing from satellites, however, can provide information in regions where surface-based observing networks are not present. The present study uses the infrared imagery and QuikSCAT wind vectors from the 2005 hurricane season in the North Atlantic and East Pacific to examine the relationship between deep convection and surface vorticity during tropical cyclogenesis. Airborne Doppler radar observations of the pre-Eugene environment from the TCSP field program in July of 2005 will also be examined in conjunction with the QuikSCAT overpasses to verify the satellite-observed surface wind field.