Impacts of decaying eastern and central Pacific El Niños on tropical cyclone activities over the western North Pacific in summer

2015 ◽  
Vol 125 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 175-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxing Yang ◽  
Ruihuang Xie ◽  
Faming Wang ◽  
Fei Huang
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (23) ◽  
pp. 8021-8045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumi Choi ◽  
Kyung-Ja Ha ◽  
Fei-Fei Jin

Abstract Both the impacts of two types of El Niño on the western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclone (TC) activity and the seasonality in the relationship between genesis potential index (GPI) and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are investigated. The ENSO-induced GPI change over the northwestern (southeastern) part of the WNP is mostly attributed to the relative humidity (absolute vorticity) term, revealing a distinct meridional and zonal asymmetry in summer and fall, respectively. The seasonal change in ENSO (background states) from summer to fall is responsible for the seasonal change in GPI anomalies south of 20°N (over the northeastern part of the WNP). The downdraft induced by the strong upper-level convergence in the eastern Pacific (EP)-type El Niño and both the northwestward-shifted relative vorticity and northward-extended convection over the southeastern part of the WNP in the central Pacific (CP)-type El Niño lead to distinct TC impacts over East Asia (EA). The southward movement of genesis location of TCs and increased westward-moving TCs account for the enhanced strong typhoon activity for the EP-type El Niño in summer. In fall the downdraft and anomalous anticyclonic steering flows over the western part of the WNP remarkably decrease TC impacts over EA. The enhanced moist static energy and midlevel upward motion over the eastern part of the WNP under the northern off-equatorial sea surface temperature warming as well as longer passage of TCs toward EA are responsible for the enhanced typhoon activity for the CP-type El Niño. It is thus important to consider the seasonality and El Niño pattern diversity to explore the El Niño–induced TC impacts over EA.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Lin K. Chang ◽  
Yasumasa Miyazawa ◽  
Swadhin Behera

AbstractThe out of phase tropical cyclone (TC) formation in the subtropical and tropical western North Pacific associated with local low-level wind vorticity anomaly, driven by the remote central and eastern equatorial Pacific warming/cooling, is investigated based on the reanalysis and observational data in the period of 1979−2017. TC frequencies in the subtropical and tropical western North Pacific appear to be connected to different remote heating/cooling sources and are linked to eastern and central Pacific warming/cooling, which are in turn related to canonical El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and ENSO Modoki, respectively. TCs formed in subtropics (SfTC) are generally found to be associated with a dipole in wind vorticity anomaly, which is driven by the tropical eastern Pacific warming/cooling. Tropically formed TCs (TfTC) are seen to be triggered by the single-core of wind vorticity anomaly locally associated with the warming/cooling of central and eastern Pacific. The predicted ENSOs and ENSO Modokis, therefore, provide a potential source of seasonal predictability for SfTC and TfTC frequencies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 3731-3751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han-Kyoung Kim ◽  
Kyong-Hwan Seo

Abstract Tropical cyclone (TC) tracks over the western North Pacific (WNP) in 1979–2013 are classified by a self-organizing map technique. A false detection rate method identifies five optimal TC clusters. Physical mechanisms of the intraseasonal and interannual variations in the TC genesis frequency are investigated for each cluster. The five clusters are separated by genesis location, from the westernmost area (east of the Philippines, C1) to the easternmost (~150°E, C5) onset area over the WNP. The intraseasonal Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) significantly affects the genesis frequency for all clusters except for C5. In particular, MJO phases 5 and 6 (1 and 2) provide significantly favorable (unfavorable) large-scale conditions for TC genesis. Two types of El Niño–Southern Oscillation influence the interannual variation of the genesis frequency for only C2 (generated over the western Philippine Sea and East China Sea) and C4 (formed near the eastern Philippine Sea). Enhanced eastern Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies lead to a ~40% decrease in the C2 TC frequency through a reversed Walker circulation with downward motion over the WNP. Conversely, increased central Pacific SST anomalies generate a cyclonic Rossby wave northwest of the forcing, inducing a significant increase (~50%) in the C4 TC frequency. The interannual variability for the C5 TCs is strongly controlled by the variation of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). A positive WPSH variation reduces the C5 TC genesis frequency by 66%, while negative WPSH anomalies enhance the frequency by 50%. A prediction scheme using information from the first four 6-h TC locations demonstrates a skillful determination of TC clusters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Basconcillo ◽  
Eun-Jeong Cha ◽  
Il-Ju Moon

AbstractThe 2018 boreal summer in the Western North Pacific (WNP) is highlighted by 17 tropical cyclones (TC)—the highest record during the reported reliable years of TC observations. We contribute to the existing knowledge pool on this extreme TC frequency record by showing that the simultaneous highest recorded intensity of the WNP summer monsoon prompted the eastward extension of the monsoon trough and enhancement of tropical convective activities, which are both favorable for TC development. Such changes in the WNP summer monsoon environment led to the extreme TC frequency record during the 2018 boreal summer. Meanwhile, the highest record in TC frequency and the intensity of the WNP summer monsoon are both attributed with the combined increase in the anomalous westerlies originating from the cold tropical Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies drawn towards the convective heat source that is associated with the warm central Pacific SST anomalies. Our results provide additional insights in characterizing above normal tropical cyclone and summer monsoon activities in the WNP in understanding seasonal predictable horizons in the WNP, and in support of disaster risk and impact reduction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (14) ◽  
pp. 5395-5416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Patricola ◽  
Suzana J. Camargo ◽  
Philip J. Klotzbach ◽  
R. Saravanan ◽  
Ping Chang

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a major source of seasonal western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclone (TC) predictability. However, the spatial characteristics of ENSO have changed in recent decades, from warming more typically in the eastern equatorial Pacific during canonical or cold tongue El Niño to warming more typically in the central equatorial Pacific during noncanonical or warm pool El Niño. We investigated the response in basinwide WNP TC activity and spatial clustering of TC tracks to the location and magnitude of El Niño using observations, TC-permitting tropical channel model simulations, and a TC track clustering methodology. We found that simulated western North Pacific TC activity, including accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) and the number of typhoons and intense typhoons, is more effectively enhanced by sea surface temperature warming of the central, compared to the eastern, equatorial Pacific. El Niño also considerably influenced simulated TC tracks regionally, with a decrease in TCs that were generated near the Asian continent and an increase in clusters that were dominated by TC genesis in the southeastern WNP. This response corresponds with the spatial pattern of reduced vertical wind shear and is most effectively driven by central Pacific SST warming. Finally, internal atmospheric variability generated a substantial range in the simulated season total ACE (±25% of the median). However, extremely active WNP seasons were linked with El Niño, rather than internal atmospheric variability, in both observations and climate model simulations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Mei ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie ◽  
Ming Zhao ◽  
Yuqing Wang

Abstract Forced interannual-to-decadal variability of annual tropical cyclone (TC) track density in the western North Pacific between 1979 and 2008 is studied using TC tracks from observations and simulations by a 25-km-resolution version of the GFDL High-Resolution Atmospheric Model (HiRAM) that is forced by observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Two modes dominate the decadal variability: a nearly basinwide mode, and a dipole mode between the subtropics and lower latitudes. The former mode links to variations in TC number and is forced by SST variations over the off-equatorial tropical central North Pacific, whereas the latter might be associated with the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. The interannual variability is also controlled by two modes: a basinwide mode driven by SST anomalies of opposite signs located in the tropical central Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, and a southeast–northwest dipole mode connected to the conventional eastern Pacific ENSO. The seasonal evolution of the ENSO effect on TC activity is further explored via a joint empirical orthogonal function analysis using TC track density of consecutive seasons, and the analysis reveals that two types of ENSO are at work. Internal variability in TC track density is then examined using ensemble simulations from both HiRAM and a regional atmospheric model. It exhibits prominent spatial and seasonal patterns, and it is particularly strong in the South China Sea and along the coast of East Asia. This makes an accurate prediction and projection of TC landfall extremely challenging in these regions. In contrast, basin-integrated metrics (e.g., total TC counts and TC days) are more predictable.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (23) ◽  
pp. 8283-8299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haikun Zhao ◽  
Shaohua Chen ◽  
Philip J. Klotzbach

Abstract This study examines the association between the western North Pacific (WNP) summer monsoon (WNPSM) and WNP tropical cyclone (TC) frequency during June–August from 1979 to 2016. The interannual relationship between the WNPSM and the total number of WNP TCs has strengthened since 1998. There has also been a significant reduction in the number of TCs forming within the WNP monsoon trough (WNPMT)—hereafter called ITCs, for internal or inside TCs—since 1998. These two important features are found to be closely associated with the climate regime shift that occurred around 1998. During 1998–2016, the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) tended to be in a cold phase, with an increasing occurrence of central Pacific–type El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, whereas the 1979–97 period tended to be characterized by a warm phase of the PDO and east Pacific–type ENSO events. During 1998–2016, the tropical Pacific was characterized by enhanced easterlies, which led to a westward-retreated WNPMT that caused a significant decrease in ITCs over the WNP basin. However, there was little change in TCs outside of the WNPMT region (hereafter called OTCs) compared to that before 1998. A significant in-phase (out-of-phase) relationship between the WNPSM and the number of ITCs (OTCs) is observed before 1998, thus greatly weakening the WNPSM–TC relationship. The recent enhanced relationship between the WNPSM and TCs is mainly due to a strong in-phase relationship between the WNPSM and ITCs. The interannual change in ITCs is mainly controlled by WNPSM changes since 1998, while OTC changes are mainly modulated by changes in the tropical upper-tropospheric trough.


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