Interaction between Hurricane Joaquin and the Large-Scale Environment based on an Eddy Kinetic Energy Budget

Propagation of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) has been shown to contribute to downstream development during the extratropical transition of tropical cyclones (TCs).  Here, local EKE analyses are used to investigate the interaction between Hurricane Joaquin (2015) and the surrounding environment throughout the TC lifecycle.  Following a synoptic analysis of the TC and a discussion of theory, the relative contributions of the source and sink terms to the integrated kinetic energy centers in and around Hurricane Joaquin are evaluated using Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM) analyses. Particular attention is focused on the radiation of ageostrophic geopotential fluxes from the TC and the location and magnitude of upper-level outflow as part of the Office of Naval Research Tropical Cyclone Intensity (TCI) field program.