Is the surface wind asymmetry in a tropical cyclone affected by ocean surface waves?

Observations and theory show that, while the wind field of a tropical cyclone is reasonably symmetric, the wave field beneath is very much less so. This strong wave field asymmetry is hypothesised to lead to a significant asymmetry in the surface drag coefficient, which will in turn contribute to the wind asymmetry – other sources of wind asymmetry include environmental wind shear and the storm motion. This study uses an idealised model of the tropical cyclone boundary layer to diagnose the relative contribution of drag coefficient asymmetries to the wind asymmetry, and to provide a preliminary assessment of the relative importance of parameterising this process in tropical cyclone models.