The Santa Cruz eddy and United States wind power

In the first part of this dissertation, a shallow cyclonic circulation that occurs in the summer over the Monterey Bay (California) is investigated. Since it is often centered over the city of Santa Cruz, it was named "Santa Cruz Eddy" (SCE). Its horizontal size is 10--40 km and its vertical extent 100--200 m. The SCE is unique because it forms 75--79% of the days during the summer, more frequently than any other known vortex. The SCE frequency was determined after analyzing two years of satellite imagery and data from an observational network. Simulations with the MM5 model showed that two eddies form, one in the early evening and one at night. Both eddies are formed by the vorticity generated baroclinically by the interaction of the synoptic northwesterly flow and the western side of the Santa Cruz mountains. Friction against these mountains further enhances vorticity production. In the late afternoon, the sea breeze and a favorable pressure gradient cause more vorticity to form near Santa Cruz. Since the latter two mechanisms do not act at night, the evening eddy is stronger, deeper, and larger than the nocturnal one.; The second part of this dissertation aims at quantifying U.S. wind power at 80 m (the hub height of large wind turbines) and investigating whether winds from a network of farms can provide electric power steadily and reliably. A new method to extrapolate 10-m wind measurements (from 1327 surface stations and 88 soundings) to 80 m was introduced, which resulted in 80-m wind speeds that are, on average, 1.3--1.7 m/s faster than those obtained from other methods. It was found that 22% of all stations (and 35% of all coastal/offshore stations) are suitable for wind power generation. The greatest previously uncharted reservoir of wind power is offshore and near shore along the southeastern and southern U.S. coasts. When multiple wind sites are considered, the number of days with no wind power and the standard deviation of the wind speed are substantially reduced in comparison with when one wind site is considered. Therefore a network of wind farms in locations with high annual mean wind speeds may provide a reliable and abundant source of electric power.