An Empirical Tropical Instability Wave-induced Wind Stress Model in the Equatorial Pacific and its Incorporation into the Ocean Model

Abstract

Satellite observations revealed that there is a close relationship between perturbations of sea surface temperature (SST) and wind stress (τ) induced by tropical instability waves (TIWs; SST_TIW and τ _TIW). Using the empirical relationship observed between TIW-induced wind stress divergence (curl) and downwind (crosswind) SST gradients, this study establishes a TIW-induced wind stress field perturbation model τ _TIW?=?F(SST). This empirical model solves τ _TIW from the TIW-induced wind stress divergence and curl, which are estimated from the downwind and crosswind SST gradients. This empirical τ _TIW?=?F(SST) model can be incorporated into the ocean model to take into account the effect of τ _TIW. By comparing two experiments with and without the τ _TIW effect, this study demonstrates that τ _TIW has a substantial effect on the equatorial Pacific heat budget and induces the long-term mean SST to exhibit a 0.2°C difference, which is consistent with previous studies.     

A new insight into the contribution of environmental conditions to tropical cyclone activities

The changes of tropical cyclone (TC) activities in response to influencing environmental conditions have been paid more and more attention to in recent years. The potential contributions of single and multivariate environmental variables to annual TC frequency and intensity from 1970 to 2009 are investigated in this study. Instead of using correlation coefficient that assumes a set of samples satisfying the normal distribution, a quantitative measurement is formulated based on the information theory. The results show that dynamic environmental variables play an important role in variations of TC activities over the western North Pacific, North Atlantic, and eastern Pacific. These dynamic factors include wind shear between 850 and 200 hPa and 850-hPa relative vorticity. However, the effects of thermal factors on TC activities are distinct over different basins. The thermal environmental variables only have significant contributions to TC frequency and intensity over the eastern Pacific as well as to TC frequency over the North Atlantic. It is found that the primary factors influencing TC activities are indeed not the same over different basins because of the differences in atmospheric conditions and their changes across different areas. The effects of dynamic variables should be considered more in the regions such as the western North Pacific where the thermal conditions are always satisfied.     

Comparison of the Structure and Evolution of Intraseasonal Oscillations Before and After Onset of the Asian Summer Monsoon

High-resolution satellite-derived data and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data are used to investigate intraseasonal oscillations （ISO） over the tropical Indian Ocean.A composite evolution of the ISO life cycle is constructed,including the initiation,development,and propagation of rainfall anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean.The characteristics of ISO over the tropical Indian Ocean are profoundly different before and after the onset of the Indian summer monsoon.Positive precipitation anomalies before monsoon onset appear one phase earlier than those after monsoon onset.Before monsoon onset,precipitation anomalies associated with ISO first initiate in the western tropical Indian Ocean and then propagate eastward along the equator.After monsoon onset,convective anomalies propagate northward over the Indian summer monsoon region after an initial eastward propagation over the equatorial Indian Ocean.Surface wind convergence and air-sea interaction play critical roles in initiating each new cycle of ISO convection.     

登陆华南热带气旋强度变化与大尺度环流的关系

应用UK再分析资料,采用合成分析方法,对比分析了登陆华南的登陆前迅速增强的TC（Rapid Intensifying TC,简称RITC）和迅速减弱的TC（Rapid FillingTC,简称RFTC）登陆前24h的大尺度环流背景特征。结果表明：从外流、入流强度和范围上看,RITC的低空入流和高空外流均明显强于RFTC,两类TC高空外流强度的差异比低空入流明显,RITC的次级环流径向范围大;从外流垂直伸展高度上看,RITC的平均外流主要集中在500hPa以上,而RFFC的平均外流比较分散,向下伸展到850hPa;从高空流场配置看,RITC上空除西北象限外均有较强外流,而RVrC仅在东北象限有较强外流,相应的RITC和RVrC的高空辐散在范围和强度上均有明显的差异,其中RITC的高空辐散明显强于RFTC;强烈的西南季风水汽输送是登陆华南的TC登陆前突然加强的先兆条件,RITC的对流活动明显比RFTc活跃;RITC的纬向风垂直切变比RFTC小,有利于RITC的强度增强。     

TROPICAL CYCLONE DAMAGES IN CHINA UNDER GLOBAL WARMING

Over the past 25 years, an annual average of 6 to 7 tropical cyclones (TCs) made landfall on China mainland and Hainan Island with an average intensity of 29.9 m/s at landfall and maintained at least tropical storm intensity for 15.6 hours over land, leading to 505 deaths and 37 billion yuan in direct economic loss, which accounted for 0.4% of the annual GDP of China. Although there was little change in the overall landfall frequency, intensity at landfall and overland duration, the annual total direct economic loss increased significantly due to the rapid economic development over the past 25 years. Under global warming, the intensity of TCs that made landfall on Hainan decreased but the overland duration and frequency of TCs that made landfall on Fujian and Zhejiang increased. At the national and provincial levels, the ratio of the direct economic loss to GDP and casualties caused by landfall tropical cyclones decreased, suggesting the effectiveness of disaster prevention and reduction in China.     

浙西南热带气旋强降水主要影响因子

对1950-2010年影响浙西南的热带气旋降水的移动路径、影响时间、强度、西风槽、西南季风以及地形等主要因子进行分析.结果表明:在玉环南-厦门一带登陆的热带气旋是影响浙西南的热带气旋中正面影响浙西南的类型,影响时间和最大平均过程降雨量、最大过程雨量存在着正相关关系,热带气旋的强度与其降水强度相关性较高.西风槽的存在不仅影响着热带气旋路径的变化,其槽前的西南气流也为热带气旋降水提供充足的水汽,同时槽后冷空气与热带气旋相结合,使丽水的西北部出现另一个强降水中心.西南季风为登陆后的热带气旋提供了水汽条件,使降水得到增幅.浙西南独特的地形,使在厦门以北到玉环以南登陆后西进、西北行或西北行后在120°E以西转向北上的热带气旋迎着山脉进入,降水强度明显加强.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF INTERANNUAL AND INTERDECADAL VARIABILITY OF SURFACE WIND OVER THE TROPICAL PACIFIC

A global atmospheric general circulation model (L9R15 AGCMs) forced by COADS SST was integrated from 1945 to 1993. Interannual and interdecadal variability of the simulated surface wind over the tropical Pacific was analyzed and shown to agree vey well with observation. Simulation of surface wind over the central-western equatorial Pacific was more successful than that over the eastern Pacific. Zonal propagating feature of interannual variability of the tropical Pacific wind anomalies and its decadal difference were also simulated successfully. The close agreement between simulation and observation on the existence of obvious interdecadal variability of tropical Pacific surface wind attested to the high simulation capability of AGCM.     

Spatial patterns of suspended sediment yields in a humid tropical watershed in Costa Rica

An Erratum has been published for this article in Hydrological Processes 16(5) 2002, 1130–1131. Humid tropical regions are often characterized by extreme variability of fluvial processes. The Rio Terraba drains the largest river basin, covering 4767 km², in Costa Rica. Mean annual rainfall is 3139±419_sd mm and mean annual discharge is 2168±492_sd mm (1971–88). Loss of forest cover, high rainfall erosivity and geomorphologic instability all have led to considerable degradation of soil and water resources at local to basin scales. Parametric and non‐parametric statistical methods were used to estimate sediment yields. In the Terraba basin, sediment yields per unit area increase from the headwaters to the basin mouth, and the trend is generally robust towards choice of methods (parametric and LOESS) used. This is in contrast to a general view that deposition typically exceeds sediment delivery with increase in basin size. The specific sediment yield increases from 112±11·4_sd t km^?2 year^?1 (at 317·9 km² on a major headwater tributary) to 404±141·7_sd t km^?2 year^?1 (at 4766·7 km²) at the basin mouth (1971–92). The analyses of relationships between sediment yields and basin parameters for the Terraba sub‐basins and for a total of 29 basins all over Costa Rica indicate a strong land use effect related to intensive agriculture besides hydro‐climatology. The best explanation for the observed pattern in the Terraba basin is a combined spatial pattern of land use and rainfall erosivity. These were integrated in a soil erosion index that is related to the observed patterns of sediment yield. Estimated sediment delivery ratios increase with basin area. Intensive agriculture in lower‐lying alluvial fans exposed to highly erosive rainfall contributes a large part of the sediment load. The higher elevation regions, although steep in slope, largely remain under forest, pasture, or tree‐crops. High rainfall erosivity (>7400 MJ mm ha^?1 h^?1 year ^?1) is associated with land uses that provide inadequate soil protection. It is also associated with steep, unstable slopes near the basin mouth. Improvements in land use and soil management in the lower‐lying regions exposed to highly erosive rainfall are recommended, and are especially important to basins in which sediment delivery ratio increases downstream with increasing basin area. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving the methodology for assessing natural hazard impacts

The impacts of natural hazards such as cyclones have been conventionally measured through changes in human, social and economic capital, typically represented by stock variables such as population, built property and public infrastructure, livestock, agricultural land, etc. This paper develops an alternative approach that seeks to detect and quantify impacts as changes in flow variables. In particular, we explore whether changes in annual agricultural output, when measured at an appropriate spatial level, could be used to measure impacts associated with tropical cyclones in coastal regions of India. We believe that such an approach may have a number of benefits from a policy perspective, particularly with regard to the debate between relief versus recovery as disaster management strategies. A focus on flow variables is also likely to be more relevant and useful in developing countries; the maintenance of economic activity directly affects livelihood and is perhaps of greater importance than loss of built property or other physical capital.