Hurricane Research

The real-time access to satellite measurements has enhanced LSU faculty research on hurricane processes, prediction, and coastal impacts. In particular, recent research has focused on estimating the radius of maximum winds using satellite measurements from the eye (1), which can be used to predict wind, waves (2),(3) and storm surge (4). Research has included investigations of the effects of dry masses on track and intensity changes (5),(6), and on the effects of cool water upwelling and oceanic heat content on intensity changes along track (7), (8), (9). A recent study of oceanic and mid- to upper-level winds during Ivan, Katrina, and Rita demonstrated that Katrina's and Rita's rapid intensifications over Loop Current waters in the Gulf was made possible by favorable upper level easterly winds (8), (13). Details of Ivans' impact on coastal/shelf/slope circulation and on beach morphology changes were assessed(3). Using higher resolution images from Radarat-1 SAR and SPOT we have also developed techniques for detecting and quantifying hurricane-related coastal and urban flooding from Lili and Katrina (10).

[1] Hsu, S.A., and A. Babin | Estimating the radius maximum winds via satellite during Hurricane Lili (2002) over the Gulf of Mexico, NWA Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology 2005-EJ3.
[2] Hsu, S.A., Blanchard, B.W., and Martin, M.F., 2000. | An evaluation of the USACE's deepwater wave prediction techniques under hurricane conditions during Georges in 1998. | Journal of Coastal Research, v. 16, no. 3, 823-829.
[3] Stone G.W, Walker N.D, Hsu S.A, Babin A., Liu B., Keim B.D., Teague W., Mitchell D., Leben R., Hurricane Ivan's Impact along the northern Gulf of Mexico, EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, Vol. 86, no. 48, 497,500-501, 2005.
[4] Hsu, S.A., | A wind-wave interaction explanation for Jelesniankski's open-ocean storm surge estimation using Hurricane Georges' (1998) measurements | National Weather Digest, v. 28, 25-31.
[5] Martin Jr., Melvin F, 2000. | The Relationship Between Water Vapor and Hurricane Track Using the GOES-8 Satellite. | PhD Dissertation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.
[6] Babin, A. | Characteristics of Hurricane Lili's intensity changes. | M.S. Thesis, Louisiana State University.
[7] Walker, N.D., Robert R. Leben, Shreekanth Balasubramanian | Hurricane-forced Upwelling and Chlorophyll a Enhancement within Cold-core Cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico | Geophysical Research Letters, v. 32, L18610, doi:10.102/2005GL023716.
[8] Walker et. al., 2006 | pdf
[9] Walker N.D, Haag, A., Balasubramanian S., Leben R., Van Heerden I., Kemp P., Mashriqui H. | Hurricane Prediction: A Century of Advances | Oceanography | Vol. 19, No. 2, 24-36, June 2006
[10] Kiage L.M, Walker N.D, Balasubramanian S., Babin A., Barras J., Applications of Radarsat-1 synthetic aperture radar imagery to assess hurricane related flooding of coastal Louisiana, International Journal of Remote Sensing Vol 26 (24), 5359-5380. Featured image Flooding of New Orleans. Cover page IJRS Vol 26 (24).
[11] Hsu, 2003 | article
[12] Blanchard B. and Hsu, S.A | On the radial variation of the tangential wind speed outside the radius of maximum wind during Hurricane Wilma (2005) | NWA Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology 2006-EJ4
[13] Hsu, S.A.,, Braud, DeWitt, Blanchard B. | Rapid Estimation of Maximum Storm Surges Induced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 | NWA Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology 2006-EJ9