Interact: Interesting Assorted Problems Involving Geophysical Flows

Accurate forecasting of hurricane and severe storm intensity, track, and other characteristics is essential for protecting lives and property. This requires a thorough understanding of the key physical processes that govern hurricane behavior. One such process that remains poorly understood is the influence of sea spray on storm dynamics. In this study, we develop an Eulerian multifluid model to investigate the effects of sea spray on the vertical turbulent transport of momentum and heat in hurricanes and severe storms. Using this model, we demonstrate that in a spray-laden atmosphere, the ratio of the bulk enthalpy transfer coefficient to the air-sea drag coefficient nearly doubles compared to spray-free conditions, reaching values between 0.6 and 0.75 at high wind speeds. Notably, such elevated ratios are believed to be necessary for sustaining hurricane intensity, supporting the hypothesis that sea spray plays an important role in hurricane dynamics. These results are in good agreement with existing observations and with theoretical estimates derived from alternative approaches, particularly those based on the hurricane energy budget.

Funding acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge support by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award 2302221