On the Westward Turning of Hurricane Sandy (2012): Effect of Atmospheric Intraseasonal Oscillations

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (20) ◽  
pp. 6859-6873
Author(s):  
Liudan Ding ◽  
Tim Li ◽  
Baoqiang Xiang ◽  
Melinda Peng
Keyword(s):  
Wave Train ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Observational Analysis ◽  
The North ◽  
Steering Flow

Abstract Hurricane Sandy (2012) experienced an unusual westward turning and made landfall in New Jersey after its northward movement over the Atlantic Ocean. The landfall caused severe casualties and great economic losses. The westward turning took place in the midlatitude Atlantic where the climatological mean wind is eastward. The cause of this unusual westward track is investigated through both observational analysis and model simulations. The observational analysis indicates that the hurricane steering flow was primarily controlled by atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), which was characterized by a pair of anticyclonic and cyclonic circulation systems. The anticyclone to the north was part of a global wave train forced by convection over the tropical Indian Ocean through Rossby wave energy dispersion, and the cyclone to the south originated from the tropical Atlantic through northward propagation. Hindcast experiments using a global coupled model show that the model is able to predict the observed circulation pattern as well as the westward steering flow 6 days prior to Sandy’s landfall. Sensitivity experiments with different initial dates confirm the important role of the ISO in establishing the westward steering flow in the midlatitude Atlantic. Thus the successful numerical model experiments suggest a potential for extended-range dynamical tropical cyclone track predictions.

Interactions between Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillations and Synoptic-Scale Disturbances over the Western North Pacific. Part II: Apparent Heat and Moisture Sources and Eddy Momentum Transport*

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 942-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pang-Chi Hsu ◽  
Tim Li
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Western North Pacific ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Momentum Transport ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The North ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillations

Abstract The interactions between the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) and synoptic-scale variability (SSV) are investigated by diagnosing the atmospheric apparent heat source (Q1), apparent moisture sink (Q2), and eddy momentum transport. It is found that the synoptic Q1 and Q2 heating (cooling) anomalies are in phase with cyclonic (anticyclonic) vorticity disturbances, aligned in a southeast–northwest-oriented wave train pattern over the western North Pacific (WNP). The wave train is well organized and strengthened (loosely organized and weakened) during the ISO active (suppressed) phase. The nonlinearly rectified Q1 and Q2 fields due to the eddy–mean flow interaction account for 10%–30% of the total intraseasonal Q1 and Q2 variabilities over the WNP. During the ISO active (suppressed) phase, the nonlinearly rectified intraseasonal Q1 and Q2 heating (cooling) appear to the northwest of the ISO enhanced (suppressed) convection center, favoring the northwestward propagation of the ISO. A diagnosis of the zonal momentum budget shows that the eddy momentum flux convergence forces an intraseasonal westerly (easterly) tendency to the north of the ISO westerly (easterly) center during the ISO active (suppressed) phase. As a result, the eddy momentum transport may contribute to the northward propagation of the boreal summer ISO over the WNP.

scholarly journals Multidecadal Drought Cycles in the Great Basin Recorded by the Great Salt Lake: Modulation from a Transition-Phase Teleconnection

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1711-1721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Yu Wang ◽  
Robert R. Gillies ◽  
Thomas Reichler
Keyword(s):  
Phase Shift ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Great Salt Lake ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
Gulf Of Alaska ◽  
The North ◽  
Circulation Anomalies

This study investigates the meteorological conditions associated with multidecadal drought cycles as revealed by lake level fluctuation of the Great Salt Lake (GSL). The analysis combined instrumental, proxy, and simulation datasets, including the Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 2, the North American Drought Atlas, and a 2000-yr control simulation of the GFDL Coupled Model, version 2.1 (CM2.1). Statistical evidence from the spectral coherence analysis points to a phase shift amounting to 6–9 yr between the wet–dry cycles in the Great Basin and the warm–cool phases of the interdecadal Pacific oscillation (IPO). Diagnoses of the sea surface temperature and atmospheric circulation anomalies attribute such a phase shift to a distinctive teleconnection wave train that develops during the transition points between the IPO’s warm and cool phases. This teleconnection wave train forms recurrent circulation anomalies centered over the southeastern Gulf of Alaska; this directs moisture flux across the Great Basin and subsequently drives wet–dry conditions over the Great Basin and the GSL watershed. The IPO life cycle therefore modulates local droughts–pluvials in a quarter-phase manner.

Upscale Feedback of Tropical Synoptic Variability to Intraseasonal Oscillations through the Nonlinear Rectification of the Surface Latent Heat Flux*

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (21) ◽  
pp. 5738-5754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhua Zhou ◽  
Tim Li
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Flux ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Northwestern Pacific ◽  
Surface Latent Heat Flux

Abstract Analysis of observational data suggests two-way interactions between the tropical intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) and synoptic-scale variability (SSV). On one hand, SSV is strongly modulated by the ISO; that is, a strengthened (weakened) SSV appears during the enhanced (suppressed) ISO phase. The northwest–southeast-oriented synoptic wave train is strengthened and well organized in the northwestern Pacific during the enhanced ISO phase but weakened during the suppressed ISO phase. On the other hand, SSV may exert an upscale feedback to ISO through the nonlinearly rectified surface latent heat flux (LHF). The maximum synoptic contribution exceeds 20%–30% of the total intraseasonal LHF over the tropical Indian Ocean, western Pacific, and northeastern Pacific. The nonlinearly rectified LHF leads the ISO convection and boundary layer specific humidity, and thus it may contribute to the propagation of the ISO in boreal summer through the preconditioning of the surface moisture and moist static energy ahead of the convection.

Extratropical Forcing of Submonthly Variations of Rainfall in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 2329-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bui Minh Tuan
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Power Spectral Analysis ◽  
Red River Delta ◽  
The North ◽  
Power Spectral ◽  
Precipitation Anomalies ◽  
Tropical Depressions ◽  
Extratropical Forcing

Abstract An EOF analysis is applied to high-resolution Vietnam Gridded Precipitation anomalies to support the notion that the characteristics of intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) of rainfall in Vietnam are distinct from location to location and highly affected by topography. Power spectral analysis reveals that the ISO of rainfall in Vietnam is dominated by submonthly-scale ISO (SISO), which is most active in September–October. The rainfall SISO shows remarkable relationships with heavy rainfall days in the Red River Delta and Mid-Central and Central Highlands but relatively weak correlations with heavy rainfall days in the Northeast and Southern Plain. A composite technique applied to filtered OLR and ERA-Interim shows that the first four principal components (PCs) of the rainfall SISO involve four different processes that closely relate to extratropical systems. The rainfall SISO in the PC1 is governed by interaction between the pressure surge induced by the submonthly amplifications of the Siberian high and tropical depressions (TDs). Rainfall SISO in PC2 is modulated by the convergence of the southward excursion of the polar air mass and TD-type waves. Rainfall SISO in PC3 is generated by the quasigeostrophic lifting of the extratropical wave train associated with TD-type waves. The effect of upstream development of the wave train from the North Pacific and TD-type wave is the key process inducing the rainfall SISO in PC4.

scholarly journals An Observed Connection between the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Madden–Julian Oscillation

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 364-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Lin ◽  
Gilbert Brunet ◽  
Jacques Derome
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Intraseasonal Variability ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Madden Julian Oscillation ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract Based on the bivariate Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) index defined by Wheeler and Hendon and 25 yr (1979–2004) of pentad data, the association between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the MJO on the intraseasonal time scale during the Northern Hemisphere winter season is analyzed. Time-lagged composites and probability analysis of the NAO index for different phases of the MJO reveal a statistically significant two-way connection between the NAO and the tropical convection of the MJO. A significant increase of the NAO amplitude happens about 5–15 days after the MJO-related convection anomaly reaches the tropical Indian Ocean and western Pacific region. The development of the NAO is associated with a Rossby wave train in the upstream Pacific and North American region. In the Atlantic and African sector, there is an extratropical influence on the tropical intraseasonal variability. Certain phases of the MJO are preceded by the occurrence of strong NAOs. A significant change of upper zonal wind in the tropical Atlantic is caused by a modulated transient westerly momentum flux convergence associated with the NAO.

Beyond Hurricane Sandy: What Might the Future Hold for Tropical Cyclones in the North Atlantic?

2014 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 1450007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radley M. Horton ◽  
Jiping Liu
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
The North ◽  
The Future ◽  
The North Atlantic

Coastal communities are beginning to understand that sea level rise is projected to dramatically increase the frequency of coastal flooding. However, deep uncertainty remains about how tropical cyclones may change in the future. The North Atlantic has historically been responsible for the majority of global tropical cyclone economic losses, with Hurricane Sandy's approximately USD$70 billion price tag providing a recent example. The North Atlantic has experienced an upward trend in both total tropical cyclones (maximum sustained winds > 18 m/s) and major hurricanes (maximum sustained winds > 50 m/s) in recent decades. While it remains unclear how much of this trend is related to anthropogenic warming, and how tropical cyclone risk may change in the future, the balance of evidence suggests that the strongest hurricanes may become more frequent and intense in the future, and that rainfall associated with tropical cyclones may increase as well. These projections, along with sea level rise and demographic trends, suggest vulnerability to tropical cyclones will increase in the future, thus requiring major coastal adaptation initiatives.

scholarly journals Indo-Pacific–Induced Wave Trains during Austral Autumn and Their Effect on Australian Rainfall

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 3208-3221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter van Rensch ◽  
Wenju Cai
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wave Trains ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Austral Autumn ◽  
Australian Rainfall

Abstract During austral winter and spring, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD), individually or in combination, induce equivalent-barotropic Rossby wave trains, affecting midlatitude Australian rainfall. In autumn, ENSO is at its annual minimum, and the IOD has usually not developed. However, there is still a strong equivalent-barotropic Rossby wave train associated with tropical Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) variability, with a pressure anomaly to the south of Australia. This wave train is similar in position, but opposite in sign, to the IOD-induced wave train in winter and spring and has little effect on Australian rainfall. This study shows that the SST in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean (SETIO) displays a high variance during austral autumn, with a strong influence on southeast and eastern Australian rainfall. However, this influence is slightly weaker than that associated with SST to the north of Australia, which shares fluctuations with SST in the SETIO region. The SST north of Australia is coherent with a convective dipole in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which is the source of a wave train to the east of Australia influencing rainfall in eastern Australia. ENSO Modoki is a contributor to the convective dipole and as a result it exerts a weak influence on eastern Australian rainfall through the connecting north Australian SST relationship. Thus, SST to the north of Australia acts as the main agent for delivering the impact of tropical Indo-Pacific variability to eastern Australia.

scholarly journals Observed Atmospheric Responses to Global SST Variability Modes: A Unified Assessment Using GEFA*

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1739-1759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Wen ◽  
Zhengyu Liu ◽  
Qinyu Liu ◽  
Claude Frankignoul
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Tropical Indian Ocean ◽  
Tropical Pacific ◽  
Atmospheric Response ◽  
The North ◽  
Sst Variability ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
The Tropical Pacific

Abstract The authors present a comprehensive assessment of the observed atmospheric response to SST variability modes in a unified approach using the Generalized Equilibrium Feedback Analysis (GEFA). This study confirms a dominant atmospheric response to the tropical SST variability associated with ENSO. A further analysis shows that the classical response to ENSO consists of two parts, one responding to the tropical Pacific ENSO mode and the other to the tropical Indian Ocean monopole (IOM) mode. The Pacific ENSO generates a significant baroclinic Rossby wave response locally over the tropical Pacific as well as equivalent barotropic wave train responses remotely into the extratropics. The IOM mode forces a strongly zonally symmetric response throughout the tropics and the extratropics. Furthermore, modest atmospheric responses to other oceanic modes were identified. For example, the North Pacific SST variability mode appears to generate an equivalent barotropic warm SST-ridge response locally over the Aleutian low with significant downstream influence on the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), whereas the North Atlantic tripole SST mode tends to force a local response on NAO. Finally, this pilot study serves as a demonstration of the potential utility of GEFA in identifying multiple surface feedbacks to the atmosphere in the observation.

scholarly journals The Impact of Anthropogenic Climate Change on North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Tracks*

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 4088-4095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela J. Colbert ◽  
Brian J. Soden ◽  
Gabriel A. Vecchi ◽  
Ben P. Kirtman
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Steering Flow ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The authors examine the change in tropical cyclone (TC) tracks that results from projected changes in the large-scale steering flow and genesis location from increasing greenhouse gases. Tracks are first simulated using a Beta and Advection Model (BAM) and NCEP–NCAR reanalysis winds for all TCs that formed in the North Atlantic Ocean’s Main Development Region (MDR) for the period 1950–2010. Changes in genesis location and large-scale steering flow are then estimated from an ensemble mean of 17 models from phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) for the A1b emissions scenario. The BAM simulations are then repeated with these changes to estimate how the TC tracks would respond to increased greenhouse gases. As the climate warms, the models project a weakening of the subtropical easterlies as well as an eastward shift in genesis location. This results in a statistically significant decrease in straight-moving (westward) storm tracks of ~5.5% and an increase in recurving (open ocean) tracks of ~5.5%. These track changes decrease TC counts over the southern Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean by 1–1.5 decade−1 and increase counts over the central Atlantic by 1–1.5 decade−1. Changes in the large-scale steering flow account for a vast majority of the projected changes in TC trajectories.

scholarly journals Impact of air–sea coupling on the climate change signal over the Iberian Peninsula

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba de la Vara ◽  
William Cabos ◽  
Dmitry V. Sein ◽  
Claas Teichmann ◽  
Daniela Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Climate Change Signal ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn this work we use a regional atmosphere–ocean coupled model (RAOCM) and its stand-alone atmospheric component to gain insight into the impact of atmosphere–ocean coupling on the climate change signal over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). The IP climate is influenced by both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea. Complex interactions with the orography take place there and high-resolution models are required to realistically reproduce its current and future climate. We find that under the RCP8.5 scenario, the generalized 2-m air temperature (T2M) increase by the end of the twenty-first century (2070–2099) in the atmospheric-only simulation is tempered by the coupling. The impact of coupling is specially seen in summer, when the warming is stronger. Precipitation shows regionally-dependent changes in winter, whilst a drier climate is found in summer. The coupling generally reduces the magnitude of the changes. Differences in T2M and precipitation between the coupled and uncoupled simulations are caused by changes in the Atlantic large-scale circulation and in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, the differences in projected changes of T2M and precipitation with the RAOCM under the RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 scenarios are tackled. Results show that in winter and summer T2M increases less and precipitation changes are of a smaller magnitude with the RCP4.5. Whilst in summer changes present a similar regional distribution in both runs, in winter there are some differences in the NW of the IP due to differences in the North Atlantic circulation. The differences in the climate change signal from the RAOCM and the driving Global Coupled Model show that regionalization has an effect in terms of higher resolution over the land and ocean.

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