On the characteristic height scales of the hurricane boundary layer

Abstract

In this study, data from 794 GPS dropsondes deployed by research aircraft in 13 hurricanes are analyzed to study the characteristic height scales of the hurricane boundary layer. The height scales are defined in a variety of ways: the height of the maximum total wind speed, the inflow layer depth, and the mixed layer depth. The height of the maximum wind speed and the inflow layer depth are referred to as the dynamical boundary layer heights, while the mixed layer depth is referred to as the thermodynamical boundary layer height. The data analyses show that there is a clear separation of the thermodynamical and dynamical boundary layer heights. Consistent with previous studies on the boundary layer structure in individual storms, the dynamical boundary layer height is found to decrease with decreasing radius to the storm center. The thermodynamic boundary layer height, which is much shallower than the dynamical boundary layer height, is also found to decrease with decreasing radius to the storm center. The results also suggest that using the traditional critical Richardson number method to determine the boundary layer height may not accurately reproduce the height scale of the hurricane boundary layer. These different height scales reveal the complexity of the hurricane boundary layer structure that should be captured in hurricane model simulations.