Northwest Pacific Cyclones Research Articles

Diagnostic Analysis of the Generative Mechanism of Extratropical Cyclones in the Northwest Pacific and Northwest Atlantic

We investigated the early-stage development of cyclones occurring in the strong baroclinic regions in the Northwest Pacific and the Northwest Atlantic based on European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis-Interim (ERA-Interim) data. The composite background conditions corresponding to the cyclones on the onset day are characterized by upper troposphere divergence of westerly jet ahead of a trough, low troposphere convergence of westerly jet behind a trough, and strong meridional air temperature gradient (baroclinicity) both in the Northwest Pacific and the Northwest Atlantic, but with stronger baroclinicity in the Northwest Pacific. The composite velocity and temperature fields of the cyclone on the onset day show a clear horizontal front and a westward and northward vertical tilting of cyclonic circulation to the cold zone. The composite Northwest Pacific cyclone filed on the onset day has a warm core, whereas the composite Northwest Atlantic cyclone field has a cold core in the low troposphere. The leading adiabatic processes that contribute to the developing of the cold core cyclone in the Northwest Atlantic on the onset day is the temperature advection, while stronger vertical motion induces stronger adiabatic warming in the Northwest Pacific cyclones, which has a significant contribution to the development of warm core cyclones on the onset day.

Extreme Sea Level Rise off the Northwest Coast of the South China Sea in 2012

Tide gauge data are used to investigate sea level variability off the northwest coast of the South China Sea (SCS) in 2012, and a significant sea level elevation with a magnitude approaching 79 mm is observed. Analysis suggests that an abnormal sea surface heat flux and freshwater flux may have contributed to this abnormal rise in sea level, together with the remote influence of an ENSO event. Further investigation shows that the event was dominated by the positive freshwater flux, where large volumes of water entered the ocean, and a maximum is centered to the south of Guangdong province, China. Simultaneously, a positive anomalous heat flux occurred in the northwestern part of the SCS, which is considered to have made a positive contribution to the high local sea level elevation. In addition to the heat flux, the ENSO event also had a significant effect on the event, where the La Nina-induced northwest Pacific cyclone contributed to sea level rise over the northwestern SCS through dynamic and thermodynamic interactions.

Asymmetry in summertime atmospheric circulation anomalies over the northwest Pacific during decaying phase of El Niño and La Niña

The present study has revealed the asymmetric characteristics of summertime atmospheric circulation anomalies over the Indo-Pacific for El Nino and La Nina, as well as the possible mechanism. During the summer when El Nino has dissipated, there are basin-wide warming over the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and cooling over the equatorial central and eastern Pacific (CEP). The northwest Pacific (NWP) anticyclone is maintained by a combined effect of the TIO warming and equatorial CEP cooling. The impact of TIO warming is via the Kelvin wave-induced divergence mechanism, and the effect of CEP cooling is by stimulating a Rossby wave response to its northwest. Correspondingly, there are lower (upper) level convergence (divergence) over the TIO and divergence (convergence) over the NWP. The tropical atmospheric waves and large-scale circulation anomalies could couple together and maintain the anticyclone. However, for La Nina, there are easterly wind anomalies over the equatorial western Pacific, and the anomalous NWP cyclone (NWPC) is weak and shifts northwestward, which are largely different from El Nino. The equatorial CEP cooling plays a dominant role in the maintenance of NWPC. The negative rainfall anomalies induced by CEP cooling force the anticyclonic wind anomalies over the WP as a Rossby wave response, which further cause the lower (upper) level convergence (divergence) over the MC and NWP. The resultant convergence leads to the enhanced convection there, inducing the NWPC as a Rossby wave response. Besides, the equatorial easterly wind anomalies trigger the upwelling oceanic Kelvin wave and maintain the CEP cooling as the Bjerknes feedback.