In April 1991, tropical cyclone 02B (TC02B) devastated the coastal city of Chittagong, Bangladesh and caused 138,000 deaths. This cyclone was one of the most severe storms in the Bay of Bengal. Although this region can be considered the most dangerous tropical cyclone basin in the world, there have been very few studies performed on cyclones in this area. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of surface parameters on TC02B. The parameters that were investigated include: sea-surface temperature (SST), evaporation in the area of low wind speed, ground wetness, surface layer height, ocean surface wind speed from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and the mountain along the east coast of the Bay of Bengal. / In order to study the effects of these parameters, a series of sensitivity experiments were performed using the Florida State University (FSU) limited-area model with 15 layers. The domain of study is between latitude 6$\sp\circ$S to 41$\sp\circ$N and longitude 62$\sp\circ$E to 117$\sp\circ$E. The period of study is from 0000UTC 28 April to 1200UTC 30 April 1991. Since the ECMWF analyses underestimated the strength of the cyclone, an idealized vortex was inserted into the initial wind field to enhance the circulation. / Sea-surface temperature had significant effects on the development and movement of TC02B. Latent heat flux was the main source of energy from the surface, especially over the ocean. Changes in surface parameters that affected latent heat flux caused significant changes in the storm intensity. However, increased surface evaporation could have resulted in a weakening of the storm if the moisture fluxes were not effectively transported into the atmosphere. In general, rainfall amounts were directly related to latent heat fluxes, but the mountain also enhanced rainfall. For SSM/I wind speed, even though the data were not available in the area of heavy rainfall, utilization of this information showed positive impacts on the forecast of the cyclone. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: B, page: 5614. / Major Professor: T. N. Krishnamurti. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76820 |
| Contributors | Sukawat, Dusadee., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 170 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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