Aircraft Observations of the Turbulence Structure in the Hurricane Boundary Layer

As part of the ONR sponsored Coupled Boundary Layer/Air-Sea Transfer (CBLAST) experiment, data from the NOAA WP-3D research aircraft measurements into major Hurricanes in the 2003-2004 seasons are analyzed to investigate the structure of the boundary layer. The turbulent fluxes of momentum and enthalpy are derived using the eddy correlation method. The vertical structure of turbulence statistics and fluxes are presented for the entire boundary layer in the rain free region between the outer rainbands. Terms in the turbulent kinetic energy budget are also estimated. The results are compared with those from the previous experiments conducted outside hurricanes, indicating the mechanisms driving the hurricane boundary layer turbulent transport processes are different from those of a typical atmospheric boundary layer.