A Review of Parameterizations for Enthalpy and Momentum Fluxes from Sea Spray in Tropical Cyclones

The intensity of tropical cyclones is sensitive to the air-sea fluxes of enthalpy and momentum. Sea spray plays a critical role in mediating enthalpy and momentum fluxes over the ocean's surface at high wind speeds, and parameterizing the influence of sea spray is a crucial component of any air-sea interaction scheme used for the high wind regime where sea spray is ubiquitous. Many studies have proposed parameterizations of air-sea flux that incorporate the microphysics of sea spray evaporation and the mechanics of sea spray stress. Unfortunately, there is not yet a consensus on which parameterization best represents air-sea exchange in tropical cyclones, and the different proposed parameterizations can yield substantially different tropical cyclone intensities. This paper seeks to review the developments in parameterizations of the sea spray-mediated enthalpy and momentum fluxes for the high wind speed regime and to synthesize key findings that are common across many investigations.

Automated summary

The intensity of tropical cyclones is influenced by air-sea fluxes of enthalpy and momentum, with sea spray playing a crucial role in mediating these fluxes at high wind speeds. Parameterizing the influence of sea spray is essential in air-sea interaction schemes, but there is currently no consensus on the best parameterization for representing air-sea exchange in tropical cyclones, leading to substantially different intensity predictions. This paper reviews developments in parameterizations of sea spray-mediated fluxes and synthesizes common key findings across many studies.