Impacts of Increased SST Resolution on the North Pacific Storm Track in ERA-Interim

Abstract

This study examines the artificial influence of increasing the SST resolution on the storm track over the North Pacific in ERA-Interim. Along with the mesoscale oceanic eddies and fronts resolved during the high-resolution-SST period, the low-level storm track strengthens northward, reaching more than 30% of the maximum values in the low-resolution-SST period after removing the influence of ENSO. The mesoscale structure firstly imprints on the marine atmospheric boundary layer, which then leads to changes in turbulent heat flux and near-surface convergence, forcing a secondary circulation into the free atmosphere, strengthening the vertical eddy heat, momentum and specific humidity fluxes, and contributing to the enhancement of the storm track. Results from a high-resolution atmospheric model further indicate the changes in the storm track due to the mesoscale SST and their relationship.