FY 1982

SEASAT wind and wave observations of northeast Pacific Hurricane Iva, August 13, 1978

González, F.I., T.W. Thompson, W.E. Brown, Jr., and D.E. Weissman

J. Geophys. Res., 87(C5), doi: 10.1029/JC087iC05p03431, 3431–3438 (1982)

SEASAT wind and wave observations collected in the eye of hurricane Iva on August 13, 1978, in the northeast Pacific are examined. The SEASAT-A scatterometer system (SASS) and scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) observations indicate a maximum wind speed of 25-30 m/s. SASS-derived isotachs indicate a classic banana-shaped high-wind-speed distribution, and the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery displays a large-scale mean intensity pattern that is in qualitative agreement. Two-dimensional Fourier transforms of selected SAR scenes show a dominant wave field characterized by wavelengths of 166-211 m, with a fanlike distribution of propagation directions. A simple geometric model is proposed as an explanation of this dominant wave field in terms of prior storm intensity and location. This geometric model, the Ross parametric hurricane wave model, and the SEASAT wind and wave data are then employed to obtain estimates of 43 km for the radius to maximum winds and 6.4 m for the corresponding significant wave height at that radius.