On Surface Waves Generated by Extra-Tropical Cyclones—Part II: Simulations

Type Article
Date 2023-04
Language English
Author(s) Cheshm Siyahi VahidORCID1, Kudryavtsev VladimirORCID1, 2, Yurovskaya MariaORCID1, 2, Collard Fabrice3, Chapron BertrandORCID4
Affiliation(s) 1 : Satellite Oceanography Laboratory, Russian State Hydrometeorological University, 195196 St. Petersburg, Russia
2 : Marine Hydrophysical Institute RAS, 299011 Sevastopol, Russia
3 : OceanDataLab, 29280 Locmaria-Plouzané, France
4 : Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer, 29280 Plouzané, France
Source Remote Sensing (2072-4292) (MDPI AG), 2023-04 , Vol. 15 , N. 9 , P. 2377 (21p.)
DOI 10.3390/rs15092377
Note This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Wave Fields under Extreme Weather Conditions (in Tropical and Extra-Tropical Cyclones and Polar Lows)
Keyword(s) extreme waves, extra-tropical cyclones, altimeter, CFOSAT-SWIM, ocean surface waves remote sensing, Atlantic ocean, ocean surface waves monitoring and modeling, parametric-2D wave-ray model, swell evolution, synthetic aperture radar
Abstract

In the previous companion study, satellite data were used to describe peculiar characteristics of ocean surface wave fields, generated by two extra-tropical cyclones (ETCs) rapidly propagating in the North Atlantic. Based on a 2D parametric wave model, further details are now provided to analyse and interpret the spatio-temporal evolution of very intense ETC-generated waves. Significant wave height and wavelength values are shown to reach extreme values, 18 m and 500 m, respectively. Resulting energetic swell systems waves then radiate in the whole eastern part of the North Atlantic, and more particularly in the Norwegian sea region. Moving to higher latitudes, wind forcing characteristics of ETCs evolve, with the shape of the wind field changing from quasi-cyclonic to “air jets/Icelandic lows”. In this paper, the resulting swell generation and propagation, after the deformation of an individual ETC, were studied, as well. Confirmed with comparisons with multi-satellite observations, the application of the parametric-2D wave-ray model was demonstrated to provide robust and highly detailed information on wave generation under very complex wind regime changes.

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