NASA Winds - Science Overview

Tropical Storms & Cyclones

A key contribution of the OVWST has been improved forecasting capabilities of tropical storms, cyclones, and hurricanes.

A tropical cyclone is a generic term used to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation. Once it reaches maximum sustained winds of 119 kilometers per hour (74 miles per hour) or higher, it can then be classified as a hurricane or typhoon. Tropical cyclones are among the most powerful natural hazards known to humankind. According to the World Health Organization, over the past 30 years the proportion of the world’s population living on cyclone-exposed coastlines has increased 192%, thus raising the risk of mortality and morbidity in the event of a tropical cyclone. As the damage done by a landfalling tropical cyclone is related to its size and wind speed, it is increasingly important to study the wind patterns of these storms.

Cui, Z., Pu, Z., Tallapragada, V., Atlas, R., and Ruf, C.S. (2019). A Preliminary Impact Study of CYGNSS Ocean Surface Wind Speeds on Numerical Simulations of Hurricanes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46(50), 2984-2992, doi: 10.1029/2019GL082236. AGU

Meissner, T., Ricciardulli, L., and Wentz, F.J. (2017). Capability of the SMAP Mission to Measure Ocean Surface Winds in Storms, Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 98, 1660–1677, doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0052.1. AMS

Chan, K. and Chan, J. (2012). Size and Strength of Tropical Cyclones as Inferred from QuikSCAT Data, Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 811–824, doi: 10.1175/MWR-D-10-05062.1. AMS

Adams, I.S., Hennon, C.C., Jones, L. and Ahmad, K.A. (2006). Evaluation of hurricane ocean vector winds from WindSat, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. 44(3), 656-667, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2005.862506. IEEE

Weather Prediction

Whether generating predictions for the coast or the open ocean, weather forecasting relies on understanding winds!

The first weather observation network in the United States began in the mid-1800s and involved 150 telegraph offices. Every day, each office would submit local weather data via telegraph to the Smithsonian Institute who would generate weather maps for the country (NOAA NWS). Today’s intricate network of satellites, weather stations, and forecast models are a huge advancement from these humble beginnings. The OVWST has further advanced our ability to generate coastal and marine weather forecasts by increasing the utility of globally encompassing satellite wind data sets into these predictions.

Yamada, H., Yoneyama, K., Katsumata, M., and Shirooka, R. (2010). Observations of a Super Cloud Cluster Accompanied by Synoptic-Scale Eastward-Propagating Precipitating Systems over the Indian Ocean, J. Atmos. Sci., 67, 1456–1473, doi: 10.1175/2009JAS3151.1. AMS.

Milliff, R.F., and Stamus, P.A. (2008) QuikSCAT Impacts on Coastal Forecasts and Warnings: Operational Utility of Satellite Ocean Surface Vector Wind Data, Wea. Forecasting, 23, 878–890, doi: 10.1175/2008WAF2007081.1. AMS.

Penabad, E., Alvarez, I., Balseiro, C.F., deCastro, M., Gomez, B., Perez-Munuzuri, V., Gomez-Gesteira, M. (2008). Comparative analysis between operational weather prediction models and QuikSCAT wind data near the Galician coast, J. Mar. Syst. 72, 256-270, doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2007.07.008. ScienceDirect.

Chelton, D.B., Freilich, M.H., Sienkiewicz, J.M. and Von Ahn, J.M. (2006). On the Use of QuikSCAT Scatterometer Measurements of Surface Winds for Marine Weather Prediction, Mon. Wea. Rev., 134, 2055–2071, doi: 10.1175/MWR3179.1. AMS.

Air-Sea Interactions

A key driving force in the exchange of heat, moisture, and gases between the ocean and the atmosphere is the wind!

The ocean and atmosphere are constantly exchanging heat, moisture, and gases, such as carbon dioxide and oxygen. There are many processes that control the exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, one of which is the wind! The faster the wind blows, the faster the rate of exchange. Interactions between the ocean and atmosphere can have important local and global consequences. For example, heat transferred from the ocean into the atmosphere can increase the energy of hurricanes or the amount of precipitation in monsoons. Going the other direction, the ocean has absorbed 25% of the excess carbon dioxide and 90% of the excess heat added to the atmosphere by human activities (United Nations Climate Action).

Feng, X., Sun, J., Yang, D., Yin, B., Gao, G., and Wan, W. (2021). Effect of Drag Coefficient Parameterizations on Air–Sea Coupled Simulations: A Case Study for Typhoons Haima and Nida in 2016. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 38, 977–993, doi: 10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0133.1. AMS.

Zhang, L., Han, W., Li, Y., and Maloney, E.D. (2018). Role of North Indian Ocean Air–Sea Interaction in Summer Monsoon Intraseasonal Oscillation, J. Climate, 31, 7885–7908, doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0691.1. AMS.

Cahill, B., Wilkin, J., Fennel, K., Vandemark, D., and Friedrichs, M.A.M. (2016). Interannual and seasonal variabilities in air-sea CO[sub:2]fluxes along the U.S. eastern continental shelf and their sensitivity to increasing air temperatures and variable winds: U.S. East Coast Shelf Air-Sea CO2 Fluxes, J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosciences 121(2), 295-311, doi: 10.1002/2015JG002939. AGU.

Fangohr, S., Woolf, D.K., Jeffery, C.D., Robinson, I.S. (2008). Calculating long-term global air-sea flux of carbon dioxide using scatterometer, passive microwave, and model reanalysis wind data, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 113(C9), doi: 10.1029/2005JC003376. AGU.

Yu, L. (2007). Global Variations in Oceanic Evaporation (1958–2005): The Role of the Changing Wind Speed, J. Climate, 20, 5376–5390, doi: 10.1175/2007JCLI1714.1. AMS

Coastal Conditions

Coastal winds can bring in dense fog from the sea, blow away summer heat, and control the presence of clouds!

Over one third of the total human population around the world lives within 60 miles (100 km) from the coast (NASA Living Ocean). As such, changes in coastal conditions can have large societal impacts, for example a thick, persistent fog can disrupt navigation by land, sea, and sky. Increasing our understanding of the role wind plays in predicting and understanding the coastal environment is particularly important in the context of a changing climate. The processes controlling control fog development, cloud formation, and coastal winds are fueled in large part by the temperature contrast between the sea and the land. Changing temperatures will impact these processes. Additionally, coastal wind speed and direction are important factors that drive coastal upwelling of deep, cold, nutrient-rich water. Changes in upwelling can have large impacts on ocean production and local fisheries.

Painemal, D., Corral, A.F., Sorooshian, A., Brunke, M.A., Chellappan, S., Afzali Gorooh, V., Ham, S.-H., O'Neill, L., Smith Jr., W.L., Tselioudis, G., Wang, H., Zeng, X., and Zuidema, P. (2021). An Overview of Atmospheric Features Over the Western North Atlantic Ocean and North American East Coast—Part 2: Circulation, Boundary Layer, and Clouds, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 126(6), e2020JD033423, doi: 10.1029/2020JD033423. AGU.

Samelson, R.M., de Szoeke, S.P., Skyllingstad, E.D. , Barbour, P.L., and Durski, S.M. (2021) Fog and Low-Level Stratus in Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Simulations of the Northern California Current System Upwelling Season. Mon. Wea. Rev., 149, 1593–1617, doi: 10.1175/MWR-D-20-0169.1. AMS.

Muñoz, R.C., Zamora, R.A., and Rutllant, J.A. (2011). The Coastal Boundary Layer at the Eastern Margin of the Southeast Pacific (23.4°S, 70.4°W): Cloudiness-Conditioned Climatology, J. Climate, 24, 1013–1033, doi: 10.1175/2010JCLI3714.1. AMS.

Fu, G. and Guo, J.T., Xie, S.P., Duane, Y.H., and Zhang, M.G. (2006). Analysis and high-resolution modeling of a dense sea fog event over the Yellow Sea, Atmos. Res. 81(4), 293-303, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2006.01.005. ScienceDirect.