Dataset on Wind and Waves to Study Tropical Cyclones

Purpose. The aim of the paper is to systematize information on the characteristics of the wind field and the wave heights along the altimeter tracks in the region of tropical cyclones, as well as to visualize this information in detail for assessing the data availability and applicability to a particular cyclone in order to use the obtained information for various scientific studies. Method and Results. To form the database, the open source data were used including the tropical cyclone parameters (Best Track Data) in 2020-2022, and the along-track altimeter measurements performed from seven satellites. For each cyclone, in which the maximum wind speed exceeded 30 m/s, the files in the NetCDF and MAT formats were created; they contained altimetry data on the significant wave heights and wind speed in a cyclone area, information on the trajectory of each cyclone and its main characteristics renewed every 3 hours. To describe the radial distribution of wind speed, the standard data on the distances from a cyclone centre to the points where the wind speeds achieved 34, 50, and 64 knots, were proposed to be approximated using the Holland analytical function. Each cyclone is provided with the graphical files illustrating the evolution of its main parameters (radius, maximum wind speed, and translation velocity), the quality of approximation of the wind speed radial distribution, the location of altimeter tracks, and the along-track values of wave heights and wind speed. The developed MATLAB computer programs allow automatic updating of the created data array. By the time of paper publication, the dataset had been supplemented with the information on tropical cyclones and the available altimetry measurements for 1985-2018. Conclusions. The structured dataset has been created to provide the information on waves and wind speed of all the intense tropical cyclones for the period from 2020 to 2022. The data and the corresponding illustrations can be used for planning and implementing the case studies, and for validating the models of tropical cyclones formation and wave development under their action.