The influence of vertical resolution to tropical cyclone boundary layer wind structure in HWRF

The boundary layer dynamics is of vital importance to the sustainability and development of a tropical cyclone. A number of studies have developed idealized models to investigate its characteristics. Almost none of them, however, has yet utilized full atmosphere models. However, employing full atmosphere models to work on boundary layer experiments should allow us to examine the interactions between boundary layer and the rest of the atmosphere, as well as that between different scales of forcing. It will be interesting to compare such results with previous findings. Given the uniqueness and complexity in the boundary layer wind structure of tropical cyclone, preparing a full atmosphere model that is capable for investigating its features requires much effort. In this presentation, we will explore the influence of vertical resolution to such features in HWRF. Some preliminary results indicate that varying the vertical resolution can have appreciable effects on the wind structure of the simulate cyclones especially when surfaces of different roughness are involved (e.g. near landfall). These results as well as others will be presented at the Conference.