Abstract: Observations of Upper-Ocean Thermal Structure in the Central North Pacific during Hurricanes Guillermo, Hilda, and Ignacio (2015) (2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting)

Observations of Upper-Ocean Thermal Structure in the Central North Pacific during Hurricanes Guillermo, Hilda, and Ignacio (2015)

Lawrence Valentino Wilson III¹, Kya Bristelle McAlister¹, Elizabeth Sanabia², Steven R Jayne³ and William Albert Swick⁴, (1)US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, United States, (2)US Naval Academy, Department of Oceanography, Annapolis, MD, United States, (3)Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole, MA, United States, (4)United States Naval Academy, Oceanography, Annapolis, MD, United States

Abstract:

In August and September 2015, Hurricanes Guillermo, Hilda, and Ignacio formed in close proximity over the eastern North Pacific Ocean. The west-northwestward hurricane tracks remained within 2° latitude for nearly 2000 km before separating meridionally southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. The upper-ocean thermal structure beneath these three tropical systems is investigated using AXBT, ALAMO, and Argo float observations, and changes over time are analyzed. The 67 AXBT and 6 ALAMO floats deployed from USAFR WC-130J aircraft as part of the USNA TROPIC program and AXBT Demonstration Project, along with the Argo floats, provide insight into temporal and spatial scales of the impact of wind stress on the upper ocean. Several observations are highlighted and observed changes in the mixed layer are compared to theoretical results obtained using the Price-Weller-Pinkel ocean mixed layer model.

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