Wind estimation around the shipwreck of Oriental Star based on field damage surveys and radar observations

Zhiyong Meng,Dan Yao,Lanqiang Bai,Yongguang Zheng,Ming Xue,Xiaoling Zhang,Kun Zhao,Fuyou Tian,Mingjun Wang

doi:10.1007/s11434-016-1005-2

Abstract

Based on observational analyses and on-site ground and aerial damage surveys, this work aims to reveal the weather phenomena—especially the wind situation—when Oriental Star capsized in the Yangtze River on June 1, 2015. Results demonstrate that the cruise ship capsized when it encountered strong winds at speeds of at least 31m s −1 near the apex of a bow echo embedded in a squall line. As suggested by the fallen trees within a 2-km radius around the wreck location, such strong winds were likely caused by microburst straight-line wind and/or embedded small vortices, rather than tornadoes.

Highlights

Oriental Star, a cruise ship on its way to Chongqing from Nanjing with 454 people on board, capsized on the Yangtze River in Jianli County, Hubei Province, China, at about 2131 LST
Results demonstrate that the cruise ship capsized when it encountered strong winds at speeds of at least 31 m s-1 near the apex of a bow echo embedded in a squall line
As suggested by the fallen trees within a 2-km radius around the wreck location, such strong winds were likely caused by microburst straight-line wind and/or embedded small vortices, rather than tornadoes

Summary

Introduction

Oriental Star, a cruise ship on its way to Chongqing from Nanjing with 454 people on board, capsized on the Yangtze River in Jianli County, Hubei Province, China, at about 2131 LST According to the real-time records from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) (Fig. 1b) of the China Portage Network, Oriental Star started to show a rightward shift at 2120:20 LST (the number after the colon denotes seconds) while it was sailing north–northeastward upstream near the left shore of the Yangtze River. Where the wind came from and how strong it was are examined in this study, based on synoptic (hundreds to thousands of kilometers) to small-scale (\2 km) weather features as well as information obtained from an extensive damage survey, in which drones were used for the first time in the meteorological damage survey history of China

Mesoscale systems that produced the strong wind: conventional observations

Surface wind estimation: on-site damage survey

Gust front

Summary and discussion