Comments on "An evaluation of hurricane superintensity in axisymmetric numerical models" by Raphaël Rousseau-Rizzi and Kerry Emanuel
arXiv:2005.11522 · doi:10.1175/JAS-D-20-0156.1
Abstract
In a recent paper Rousseau-Rizzi and Emanuel (2019) presented a derivation of an upper limit on maximum hurricane velocity at the surface. This derivation was based on a consideration of an infinitely narrow (differential) Carnot cycle with the warmer isotherm at the point of the maximum wind velocity. Here we show that this derivation neglected a significant term describing the kinetic energy change in the outflow. Additionally, we highlight the importance of a proper accounting for the power needed to lift liquid water. Finally, we provide a revision to the formula for surface fluxes of heat and momentum showing that, if we accept the assumptions adopted by Rousseau-Rizzi and Emanuel (2019), the resulting velocity estimate does not depend on the flux of sensible heat.
Our comments on paper "An evaluation of hurricane superintensity in axisymmetric numerical models" by Raphaël Rousseau-Rizzi and Kerry Emanuel published in J. Atmos. Sci. 76, 1697 (2019)