Hurricane air-sea drag saturation and sea-state dependence revealed by surface drones
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The ocean supplies energy for tropical cyclones (TCs) and slows their winds through surface friction, which exerts a force on the ocean termed wind stress. The drag coefficient ( C d ) is the key parameter that converts wind speed to wind stress and is currently estimated in forecast models from incomplete data collected in low-to-moderate ocean winds. Here, we use measurements from 11 Atlantic hurricanes to quantify C d in winds up to 44 meters per second and surface waves up to 14 meters. It is found that C d levels off, as wind speed surpasses 30 meters per second but does not decrease appreciably as suggested by previous indirect methods. Interaction of the wind and wave fields causes C d to be 20 ± 2% higher on the motion-left side of a storm, where wind and waves are misaligned, than on the right. These results quantify directly a fundamental TC air-sea interaction parameter and demonstrate the importance of distinct TC quadrant-specific wind-wave interactions.
Source: Science Advances
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, University of Washington, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA Weather Program Office
Award: G4524416191
OpenAlex ID: W7162537967