An overview of tropical cyclone boundary layer (TCBL) modeling: From meteorological perspectives to wind engineering applications

Extreme winds generated by tropical cyclones (TCs) cause significant global losses, and accurate tropical cyclone boundary layer (TCBL) modeling is essential for hazard assessment and performance-based wind engineering (PBWE). This paper presents a comprehensive review of TCBL models from both meteorological and wind engineering perspectives, with the aim of enabling PBWE to benefit from advances in atmospheric science. TCBL models are categorized along several primary dimensions, including physics-based or data-driven, full-physics or diagnostic, empirical or solution-pursued, parametric or simulation-based, linear or nonlinear, axisymmetric or asymmetric, and 2D or 3D. These categories form a hierarchy ranging from simplified to highly rigorous models. Each category is reviewed in terms of its mathematical formulation, physics, validation, and applications, and the relationships among models are clarified through examination of their assumptions and approximations. The review identifies the 3D nonlinear TCBL model of Kepert and Wang (2001) as the most theoretically rigorous and a suitable benchmark for PBWE. A recent systematic investigation surrounding this model conducted at the NatHaz Modeling Laboratory is briefly summarized, and several future research needs are highlighted.