scholarly journals Barrier Layer Characteristics for Different Temporal Scales and Its Implication to Tropical Cyclone Enhancement in the Western North Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3375
Author(s):  
Ding-Rong Wu ◽  
Zhe-Wen Zheng ◽  
Ganesh Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Chung-Ru Ho ◽  
Quanan Zheng

The barrier layer (BL) is a layer of water separating the thermocline from the density mixed layer in the upper ocean, which has the capability of reducing the negative feedback effect caused by tropical cyclone (TC) acting on the upper ocean and back on the TC itself. This study analyzed in-situ Argo floats measurements, data-assimilated HYCOM/NCODA reanalysis, and the longer-term (1961–2010) variations of Ocean Reanalysis System 4 (ORAS4) based BL in the TC main development region (MDR) to characterize the BL in the western North Pacific (WNP) for different temporal scales and to understand its role in resisting TC induced sea surface cooling. First, the result indicates that the effect of BL on TC enhancement in the MDR of WNP might be overestimated. Further analysis based on partial correlation shows that the BL plays a key role in resisting the cooling response only while BL is strong (BL thickness ≥ 5 m) and TC wind forcing is weak. Meanwhile, the distribution of BL demonstrates markedly the mesoscale characteristic. BL with thickness 0–5 m occupies the highest proportion (~67.55%), while thicker BL (BL thickness (BLT) larger than 5 m) takes up about 25–30%. Besides, there are ~3% with BL thicker than 30 m. For life length, BLT with 0–5 m is limited to 5 days, while BL with thickness more than 30 m can persist for more than 30 days. The scenario is attributed to diverse processes that result in different characteristic temporal scales of BL. Additionally, the analysis of coverage region and average BLT in the recent decade shows a serious situation: both the spatial coverage and BLT increase sharply from 2001 to 2010, which implies that TC–BL interactions might occur more frequently and more vigorously in future if the changing trend of BL remains unchanged.

SOLA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udai Shimada ◽  
Munehiko Yamaguchi ◽  
Shuuji Nishimura

2021 ◽  
Vol 164 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisayuki Kubota ◽  
Jun Matsumoto ◽  
Masumi Zaiki ◽  
Togo Tsukahara ◽  
Takehiko Mikami ◽  
...  

AbstractTropical cyclone (TC) activities over the western North Pacific (WNP) and TC landfall in Japan are investigated by collecting historical TC track data and meteorological observation data starting from the mid-nineteenth century. Historical TC track data and TC best track data are merged over the WNP from 1884 to 2018. The quality of historical TC data is not sufficient to count the TC numbers over the WNP due to the lack of spatial coverage and different TC criteria before the 1950s. We focus on TC landfall in Japan using a combination of TC track data and meteorological data observed at weather stations and lighthouses from 1877 to 2019. A unified TC definition is applied to obtain equivalent quality during the whole analysis period. We identify lower annual TC landfall numbers during the 1970s to the 2000s and find other periods have more TC landfall numbers including the nineteenth century. No trend in TC landfall number is detected. TC intensity is estimated by an annual power dissipation index (APDI). High APDI periods are found to be around 1900, in the 1910s, from the 1930s to 1960s, and after the 1990s. When we focus on the period from 1977 to 2019, a significant increasing trend of ADPI is seen, and significant northeastward shift of TC landfall location is detected. On the other hand, TC landfall location shifts northeastward and then southwestward in about 100-year interval. European and US ships sailed through East and Southeast Asian waters before the weather station network was established in the late nineteenth century. Then, we focus on TC events in July 1853 observed by the US Naval Japan Expedition of Perry’s fleet and August 1863 by a UK Navy ship that participated in two wars in Japan. A TC moved slowly westward over the East China Sea south of the Okinawa Islands from 21 to 25 July 1853. Another TC was detected in the East China Sea on 15–16 August 1863 during the bombardment of Kagoshima in southern Japan. Pressure data are evaluated by comparing the observations made by 10 naval ships in Yokohama, central Japan during 1863–1864. The deviation of each ship pressure data from the 10 ships mean is about 2.7–2.8 hPa.


2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 2006-2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Shang Lee ◽  
Kevin K. W. Cheung ◽  
Jenny S. N. Hui ◽  
Russell L. Elsberry

Abstract The mesoscale features of 124 tropical cyclone formations in the western North Pacific Ocean during 1999–2004 are investigated through large-scale analyses, satellite infrared brightness temperature (TB), and Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) oceanic wind data. Based on low-level wind flow and surge direction, the formation cases are classified into six synoptic patterns: easterly wave (EW), northeasterly flow (NE), coexistence of northeasterly and southwesterly flow (NE–SW), southwesterly flow (SW), monsoon confluence (MC), and monsoon shear (MS). Then the general convection characteristics and mesoscale convective system (MCS) activities associated with these formation cases are studied under this classification scheme. Convection processes in the EW cases are distinguished from the monsoon-related formations in that the convection is less deep and closer to the formation center. Five characteristic temporal evolutions of the deep convection are identified: (i) single convection event, (ii) two convection events, (iii) three convection events, (iv) gradual decrease in TB, and (v) fluctuating TB, or a slight increase in TB before formation. Although no dominant temporal evolution differentiates cases in the six synoptic patterns, evolutions ii and iii seem to be the common routes taken by the monsoon-related formations. The overall percentage of cases with MCS activity at multiple times is 63%, and in 35% of cases more than one MCS coexisted. Most of the MC and MS cases develop multiple MCSs that lead to several episodes of deep convection. These two patterns have the highest percentage of coexisting MCSs such that potential interaction between these systems may play a role in the formation process. The MCSs in the monsoon-related formations are distributed around the center, except in the NE–SW cases in which clustering of MCSs is found about 100–200 km east of the center during the 12 h before formation. On average only one MCS occurs during an EW formation, whereas the mean value is around two for the other monsoon-related patterns. Both the mean lifetime and time of first appearance of MCS in EW are much shorter than those developed in other synoptic patterns, which indicates that the overall formation evolution in the EW case is faster. Moreover, this MCS is most likely to be found within 100 km east of the center 12 h before formation. The implications of these results to internal mechanisms of tropical cyclone formation are discussed in light of other recent mesoscale studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 2457-2469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Xu ◽  
Riyu Lu

Abstract The modulation of tropical cyclone (TC) activity by the western North Pacific (WNP) monsoon break is investigated by analyzing the subseasonal evolution of TCs and corresponding circulations, based on 65 years of data from 1950 to 2014. The monsoon break has been identified as occurring over the WNP in early August. The present results show that TC occurrence decreases (increases) remarkably to the east of the Mariana Islands (southeast of Japan) during the monsoon break, which is closely related to local anomalous midtropospheric downward (upward) motion and lower-tropospheric anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulation, in comparison with the previous and subsequent convective periods in late July and mid-August. These changes of TC activity and the corresponding circulation during the monsoon break are more significant in typical monsoon break years when the monsoon break phenomenon is predominant. The reverse changes of TC activity to the east of the Mariana Islands and to the southeast of Japan during the monsoon break are closely associated with the out-of-phase subseasonal evolutions over these two regions from late July to mid-August, which are both contributed to greatly by 10–25-day oscillations. Finally, the roles of midlatitude and tropical disturbances on 10–25-day oscillations are also discussed.


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