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Sensitivity of the warm core of tropical cyclones to solar radiation

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Abstract

To investigate the impacts of solar radiation on tropical cyclone (TC) warm-core structure (i.e., the magnitude and height), a pair of idealized simulations are conducted by specifying different strengths of solar shortwave radiation. It is found that the TC warm core is highly sensitive to the shortwave radiative effect. For the nighttime storm, a tendency for a more intense warm core is found, with an elevated height compared to its daytime counterpart. As pointed out by previous studies, the radiative cooling during nighttime destabilizes the local and large-scale environment and thus promotes deep moist convection, which enhances the TC’s intensity. Due to the different inertial stabilities, the diabatic heating in the eyewall will force different secondary circulations. For a strong TC with a deeper vertical structure, this promotes a thin upper-level inflow layer. This inflow carries the lower stratospheric air with high potential temperature and descends adiabatically in the eye, resulting in significant upper-level warming. The Sawyer–Eliassen diagnosis further confirms that the height of the maximum temperature anomaly is likely attributable to the balance among the forced secondary circulations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Xuyang Ge, Yue Ma & Tim Li

  2. International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii, Hawaii, 96822, USA

    Shunwu Zhou

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  1. Xuyang Ge
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  2. Yue Ma
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  3. Shunwu Zhou
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  4. Tim Li
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Correspondence to Xuyang Ge.

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Ge, X., Ma, Y., Zhou, S. et al. Sensitivity of the warm core of tropical cyclones to solar radiation. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 32, 1038–1048 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-014-4206-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-014-4206-0

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