Hurricane wake restratification rates of one-, two- and three-dimensional processes

Abstract

The restratification of the cold wakes of Tropical Cyclones Fanapi, Frances, Igor and Katrina are examined based on derived scalings for processes that can restore the hurricane wake toward the precyclone conditions. The different restoration processes depend on the parameters of the wake: depth, width, buoyancy anomaly and wind stress. The parameters needed are derived for each wake from satellite and climatological data. The scalings are based on model results and existing parameterizations, including air-sea heat fluxes (one-dimensional) Ekman buoyancy fluxes (two-dimensional) and mixed layer eddies (three-dimensional). The dominant surface restoration occurs by a combination of surface fluxes and Ekman buoyancy fluxes, while the submesoscale mixed layer eddy bolus fluxes are the dominant subsurface effect.