Abstract
The spatial-temporal patterns of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity changes caused by the warm ocean mesoscale eddy (WOME) distribution are evaluated using two sets of idealized numerical experiments. The results show that the TC was intensified and weakened when a WOME was close to and far away from the TC center, respectively. The area where the WOME enhanced (weakened) TC intensity is called the inner (outer) area in this study. Amplitudes of the enhancement and weakening caused by the WOME in the inner and outer area decreased and increased over time, while the ranges of the inner and outer area diminished and expanded, respectively. The WOME in the inner area strengthened the secondary circulation of the TC, increased heat fluxes, strengthened the symmetry, and weakened the outer spiral rainband, which enhanced TC intensity. The effect was opposite if the WOME was in the outer area, and it weakened the TC intensity. The idealized simulation employed a stationary TC, and thus the results may only be applied to TCs with slow propagation. These findings can improve our understanding of the interactions between TC and the WOME and are helpful for improving TC intensity forecasting by considering the effect of the WOME in the outer areas.
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Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41706034; the Basic Scientific Fund for National Public Research Institutes of China under contract No. 2020Q05; the Open Fund of the Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Chinese Academy of Sciences under contract Nos KLOCW1803 and KLOCW1804; the Open Fund of the Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology under contract No. 2019A02; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 91428206 and 41376038; the National Science and Technology Major Project under contract No. 2016ZX05057015; the National Programme on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction under contract Nos GASI-03-01-01-02 and GASI-IPOVAI-01-05; the NSFC-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers under contract No. U1606405.
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Sun, J., Wang, G., Xiong, X. et al. Impact of warm mesoscale eddy on tropical cyclone intensity. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 39, 1–13 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-020-1617-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-020-1617-x