COASTAL CURRENTS INDUCED BY HURRICANE ANDREW

Ocean current meters in 18 and 24 m depth water along the southeast Florida coast recorded water motions as Hurricane Andrew crossed the narrow continental shelf with the storm center 32 km from the southernmost current meter. Wind speeds up to 55 m s-1 at the meter closest to the storm path were as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Florida scientist 1997-10, Vol.60 (4), p.254-264
Main Authors: McLeish, William, Hansen, Donald V., Proni, John R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Average speed
Coastal currents
Coastal water
Coasts
Hurricanes
Marine
Ocean currents
Storm damage
Storms
Waves
Wind velocity
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Summary:Ocean current meters in 18 and 24 m depth water along the southeast Florida coast recorded water motions as Hurricane Andrew crossed the narrow continental shelf with the storm center 32 km from the southernmost current meter. Wind speeds up to 55 m s-1 at the meter closest to the storm path were associated with recorded mean current speeds up to 94 cm s-1. The greatest water speeds, however, were transient motions from the wind waves. These motions caused major changes to the bottom and to objects lying on it. Direct and remotely sensed observations showed an increasing degree of turbulence in the water as the hurricane approached, stirring both air bubbles and bottom sediment throughout the water and mixing the water so that vertical shear in the current was suppressed. Thus, beneath the strong wind stress there was not a mean water flow in the direction of the wind at the surface and a flow in the opposite direction near the bottom, as had been indicated in previous studies. In later stages of the storm passage, the current developed an eastward component, running against the incoming wind waves, which may have contributed to the evolution of the most extreme conditions.
ISSN:0098-4590