scholarly journals A Comparison of the Downstream Predictability Associated with ET and Baroclinic Cyclones

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 4651-4672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan D. Torn

The impact of the extratropical transition (ET) of tropical cyclones and baroclinic cyclogenesis in the western North Pacific (WNP), Atlantic, and southern Indian Ocean (SIO) basins on the predictability of the downstream midlatitude flow is assessed using 30 years of cases from the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) Reforecast, version 2. In all three basins, ET is associated with statistically larger 500-hPa geopotential height forecast standard deviation (SD) compared to the forecast climatology. The higher SD values originate from where the TC enters the midlatitudes and spread downstream at the group velocity of the associated wave packet. Of the three basins, WNP ET is associated with the largest amplitude and longest-lasting SD anomalies. Forecasts initialized 2–4 days prior to the onset of ET have larger SD anomalies compared to forecasts initialized during or after the onset of ET. By contrast, the region of positive SD anomaly associated with winter baroclinic cyclones is confined to the upstream trough, with fall cyclones exhibiting some downstream propagation characteristics similar to ET. The ET cases with the larger downstream SD anomaly are characterized by a more amplified ridge downstream of the TC as it enters the midlatitudes. By contrast, ET cases with an upstream trough, large TC position variability at the onset of ET, latent heat release, or upper-tropospheric PV advection by the irrotational wind are not characterized by significantly larger downstream SD compared to cases without an upstream trough or smaller values of these quantities.

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuzhen Li ◽  
Zhiping Wen ◽  
Deliang Chen ◽  
Zesheng Chen

Abstract The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle has a great impact on the summer moisture circulation over East Asia (EA) and the western North Pacific [WNP (EA-WNP)] on an interannual time scale, and its modulation is mainly embedded in the leading mode. In contrast to the stable influence of the mature phase of ENSO, the impact of synchronous eastern Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) on summer moisture circulation is negligible during the 1970s–80s, while it intensifies after 1991. In response, the interannual variation of moisture circulation exhibits a much more widespread anticyclonic/cyclonic pattern over the subtropical WNP and a weaker counterpart to the north after 1991. Abnormal moisture moves farther northward with the enhanced moisture convergence, and thus precipitation shifts from the Yangtze River to the Huai River valley. The decadal shift in the modulation of ENSO on moisture circulation arises from a more rapid evolution of the bonding ENSO cycle and its stronger coupling with circulation over the Indian Ocean after 1991. The rapid development of cooling SSTAs over the central-eastern Pacific, and warming SSTAs to the west over the eastern Indian Ocean–Maritime Continent (EIO-MC) in summer, stimulates abnormal descending motion over the western-central Pacific and ascending motion over the EIO-MC. The former excites an anticyclone over the WNP as a Rossby wave response, sustaining and intensifying the WNP anticyclone; the latter helps anchor the anticyclone over the tropical–subtropical WNP via an abnormal southwest–northeast vertical circulation between EIO-MC and WNP.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (23) ◽  
pp. 8724-8739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruifen Zhan ◽  
Yuqing Wang ◽  
Li Tao

Abstract A recent finding is the significant impact of the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) over the east Indian Ocean (EIO) on the genesis frequency of tropical cyclones (TCs) over the western North Pacific (WNP). In this study it is shown that such an impact is significant only after the late 1970s. The results based on both data analysis and numerical model experiments demonstrate that prior to the late 1970s the EIO SSTA is positively correlated with the equatorial central Pacific SSTA and the latter produces an opposite atmospheric circulation response over the WNP to the former. As a result, the impact of the EIO SSTA on the TC genesis over the WNP is largely suppressed by the latter. After the late 1970s, the area coverage of the EIO SSTA is expanding. This considerably enhances the large-scale circulation response over the WNP to the EIO SSTA and significantly intensifies the impact of the EIO SSTA on TC genesis frequency over the WNP. The results from this study have great implications for seasonal prediction of TC activity over the WNP.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 1491-1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morris A. Bender ◽  
Timothy P. Marchok ◽  
Charles R. Sampson ◽  
John A. Knaff ◽  
Matthew J. Morin

Abstract The impact of storm size on the forecast of tropical cyclone storm track and intensity is investigated using the 2016 version of the operational GFDL hurricane model. Evaluation was made for 1529 forecasts in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and western North Pacific basins, during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The track and intensity errors were computed from forecasts in which the 34-kt (where 1 kt = 0.514 m s−1) wind radii obtained from the operational TC vitals that are used to initialize TCs in the GFDL model were replaced with wind radii estimates derived using an equally weighted average of six objective estimates. It was found that modifying the radius of 34-kt winds had a significant positive impact on the intensity forecasts in the 1–2 day lead times. For example, at 48 h, the intensity error was reduced 10%, 5%, and 4% in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and western North Pacific, respectively. The largest improvements in intensity forecasts were for those tropical cyclones undergoing rapid intensification, with a maximum error reduction in the 1–2 day forecast lead time of 14% and 17% in the eastern and western North Pacific, respectively. The large negative intensity biases in the eastern and western North Pacific were also reduced 25% and 75% in the 12–72-h forecast lead times. Although the overall impact on the average track error was neutral, forecasts of recurving storms were improved and tracks of nonrecurving storms degraded. Results also suggest that objective specification of storm size may impact intensity forecasts in other high-resolution numerical models, particularly for tropical cyclones entering a rapid intensification phase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (21) ◽  
pp. 9129-9143
Author(s):  
Jun Gao ◽  
Haikun Zhao ◽  
Philip J. Klotzbach ◽  
Chao Wang ◽  
Graciela B. Raga ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study examines the possible impact of tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) on the proportion of rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones (PRITC) over the western North Pacific (WNP) during the extended boreal summer (July–November). There is a robust interannual association (r = 0.46) between TIO SSTAs and WNP PRITC during 1979–2018. Composite analyses between years with warm and cold TIO SSTAs confirm a significant impact of TIO SSTA on WNP PRITC, with PRITC over the WNP basin being 50% during years with warm TIO SSTAs and 37% during years with cold TIO SSTAs. Tropical cyclone heat potential appears to be one of the most important factors in modulating the interannual change of PRITC over the WNP with a secondary role from midlevel moisture changes. Interannual changes in these large-scale factors respond to SSTA differences characterized by a tropics-wide warming, implying a possible global warming amplification on WNP PRITC. The possible footprint of global warming amplification of the TIO is deduced from 1) a significant correlation between TIO SSTAs and global mean SST (GMSST) and a significant linear increasing trend of GMSST and TIO SSTAs, and 2) an accompanying small difference of PRITC (~8%) between years with detrended warm and cold TIO SSTAs compared to the difference of PRITC (~13%) between years with nondetrended warm and cold TIO SSTAs. Global warming may contribute to increased TCHP, which is favorable for rapid intensification, but increased vertical wind shear is unfavorable for TC genesis, thus amplifying WNP PRITC.


2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 1295-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Harr ◽  
Jonathan M. Dea

Abstract The movement of a tropical cyclone into the midlatitudes involves interactions among many complex physical processes over a variety of space and time scales. Furthermore, the extratropical transition (ET) of a tropical cyclone may also result in a high-amplitude Rossby wave response that can extend to near-hemispheric scales. After an ET event occurs over the western portion of a Northern Hemisphere ocean basin, the high-amplitude downstream response often forces anomalous midlatitude circulations for periods of days to a week. These circulations may then be related to high-impact weather events far downstream of the forcing by the ET event. In this study, downstream development following ET events over the western North Pacific Ocean is examined. Local eddy kinetic energy analyses are conducted on four cases of North Pacific tropical cyclones of varying characteristics during ET into varying midlatitude flow characteristics during 15 July–30 September 2005. The goal is to examine the impact of each case on downstream development across the North Pacific during a period in which these events might increase the midlatitude cyclogenesis across the North Pacific during a season in which cyclogenesis is typically weak. Four typhoon (TY) cases from the summer of 2005 are chosen to represent the wide spectrum of variability in ET. This includes a case (TY Nabi 14W) that directly resulted in an intense midlatitude cyclone, a case in which a weak midlatitude cyclone resulted (TY Banyan 07W), a case in which the decaying tropical cyclone was absorbed into the midlatitude flow (TY Guchol 12W), and a case (TY Saola 17W) in which the tropical cyclone decayed under the influence of strong vertical wind shear. The variability in downstream response to each ET case is related to specific physical characteristics associated with the evolution of the ET process and the phasing between the poleward-moving tropical cyclone and the midlatitude circulation into which it is moving. A case of downstream development that occurred during September 2005 without an ET event is compared with the four ET cases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1725-1742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Wu ◽  
Hongjie Zhang ◽  
Jau-Ming Chen ◽  
Tao Feng

The present study investigates the impact of various central Pacific (CP) and eastern Pacific (EP) warming on tropical cyclones (TCs) over the western North Pacific (WNP) for the period 1948–2015 based on observational and reanalysis data. Four distinctly different forms of tropical Pacific warming are identified to examine different impacts of locations and intensity of tropical Pacific warming on the WNP TCs. It is shown that WNP TC activity related to ENSO shows stronger sensitivity to the intensity of CP SST warming. The locations of TC genesis in an extreme EP El Niño featuring concurrent strong CP and EP warming (CEPW) display a notable southeastward shift that is generally similar to the CP El Niño featuring CP warming alone (CPW). These influences are clearly different from the effects of moderate EP El Niño associated with EP warming alone (EPW). The above influences of Pacific warming on TCs possibly occur via atmospheric circulation variability. Anomalous convection associated with CP SST warming drives anomalous low-level westerlies away from the equator as a result of a Gill-type Rossby wave response, leading to an enhanced broad-zone, eastward-extending monsoon trough (MT). An anomalous Walker circulation in response to EP SST warming drives an increase in anomalous equatorial westerlies over the WNP, leading to a narrow-zone, slightly equatorward shift of the eastward-extending MT. These changes in the MT coincide with a shift in large-scale environments and synoptic-scale perturbations, which favor TC genesis and development. In addition, during weaker EP SST warming (WEPW) with similar intensity to CPW, local SST forcing exhibits primary control on WNP TCs and atmospheric circulation.


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