Diagnosis of tropical cyclone activity through gravity wave energy density in the southwest Indian Ocean

Abstract

Tropical cyclone (TC) activity is diagnosed through convective gravity waves (GWs) observed in the upper troposphere (UT)/lower stratosphere (LS) above Tromelin island (15.53°S, 54.31°E) in the tropical southwest Indian Ocean. Monthly and weekly GW total energy densities derived from daily GPS windsonde data are compared with Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) and TC hours in the vicinity of Tromelin. A relationship between GW energy density and TC activity is observed in the LS, for the TC season 2001/2002. Moreover TCs (local convection) produce GWs with total energy density mostly higher (lower) than 12 J kg−1. A 10‐season climatology (1997/1998–2006/2007) confirms that large values of GW total energy density in the LS are associated with weak values of OLR during the TC passage. Monthly total, kinetic and potential GW energy densities within 2000 km radius of Tromelin can be estimated using linear relationships with TC hours for a threshold of above 6 TC days per month. A linear relationship also exists between weekly GW total energy density in the LS and the activity of intense TCs above a threshold of 2 TC days per week within 1000 km radius of Tromelin. GW energy density in the LS could be used as a possible index to investigate TC activity in the UT/LS.