EVIDENCE AND MECHANISM OF HURRICANE-FRAN INDUCED COOLING IN THE CHARLESTON TROUGH

Evidence of enhanced sea surface cooling during and following the pass age of Hurricane Fran in September 1996 over an oceanic depression loc ated on the ocean margin offshore of Charleston, South Carolina (refer red to as the Charleston Trough), [Pietrafesa, 1983] is documented. Ap proximately 4C degrees of sea surface temperature (SST) reduction with in the Charleston Trough following the passage of Hurricane Fran was e stimated based on SST imagery from Advanced Very High Resolution Radio meter (AVHRR) on the NOAA-14 polar orbiting satellite. Simulations usi ng a three-dimensional coastal ocean model indicate that the largest S ST reduction occurred within the Charleston Trough. This SST reduction can be explained by oceanic mixing due to storm-induced internal iner tia-gravity waves.