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Title: Acceleration of tropical cyclogenesis by self-aggregation feedbacks

Abstract

Idealized simulations of tropical moist convection have revealed that clouds can spontaneously clump together in a process called self-aggregation. This results in a state where a moist cloudy region with intense deep convection is surrounded by extremely dry subsiding air devoid of deep convection. Because of the idealized settings of the simulations where it was discovered, the relevance of self-aggregation to the real world is still debated. Here in this study, we show that self-aggregation feedbacks play a leadingorder role in the spontaneous genesis of tropical cyclones in cloudresolving simulations. Those feedbacks accelerate the cyclogenesis process by a factor of 2, and the feedbacks contributing to the cyclone formation show qualitative and quantitative agreement with the self-aggregation process. Once the cyclone is formed, wind-induced surface heat exchange (WISHE) effects dominate, although we find that self-aggregation feedbacks have a small but nonnegligible contribution to the maintenance of the mature cyclone. In conclusion, our results suggest that self-aggregation, and the framework developed for its study, can help shed more light into the physical processes leading to cyclogenesis and cyclone intensification. In particular, our results point out the importance of the longwave radiative cooling outside the cyclone.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]
  1. Sorbonne Université, École Polytechnique, CNRS, Paris (France). Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD)/Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) Research University
  2. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Department of Earth and Planetary Science; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1479393
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 115; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; tropical cyclones; convective aggregation; deep convection; tropical cyclogenesis; tropical cyclone intensification

Citation Formats

Muller, Caroline J., and Romps, David M. Acceleration of tropical cyclogenesis by self-aggregation feedbacks. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1073/pnas.1719967115.
Muller, Caroline J., & Romps, David M. Acceleration of tropical cyclogenesis by self-aggregation feedbacks. United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719967115
Muller, Caroline J., and Romps, David M. Mon . "Acceleration of tropical cyclogenesis by self-aggregation feedbacks". United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719967115. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1479393.
@article{osti_1479393,
title = {Acceleration of tropical cyclogenesis by self-aggregation feedbacks},
author = {Muller, Caroline J. and Romps, David M.},
abstractNote = {Idealized simulations of tropical moist convection have revealed that clouds can spontaneously clump together in a process called self-aggregation. This results in a state where a moist cloudy region with intense deep convection is surrounded by extremely dry subsiding air devoid of deep convection. Because of the idealized settings of the simulations where it was discovered, the relevance of self-aggregation to the real world is still debated. Here in this study, we show that self-aggregation feedbacks play a leadingorder role in the spontaneous genesis of tropical cyclones in cloudresolving simulations. Those feedbacks accelerate the cyclogenesis process by a factor of 2, and the feedbacks contributing to the cyclone formation show qualitative and quantitative agreement with the self-aggregation process. Once the cyclone is formed, wind-induced surface heat exchange (WISHE) effects dominate, although we find that self-aggregation feedbacks have a small but nonnegligible contribution to the maintenance of the mature cyclone. In conclusion, our results suggest that self-aggregation, and the framework developed for its study, can help shed more light into the physical processes leading to cyclogenesis and cyclone intensification. In particular, our results point out the importance of the longwave radiative cooling outside the cyclone.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1719967115},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
number = 12,
volume = 115,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Mon Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
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Cited by: 45 works
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Cyclone evolution in CTRL and sensitivity runs. (A–D) Snapshots of $\int$MSE at day 100 of the simulations. (E-H) Time evolution of the SD of $\int$MSE and of the domain-averaged wind speed near the surface (m∙s-1 at the first atmospheric level z=37.5 m).

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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Understanding the vertical structure of potential vorticity in tropical depressions
journal, April 2019

  • Murthy, Varun S.; Boos, William R.
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  • DOI: 10.1002/qj.3539

Self-Aggregation of Deep Convection and its Implications for Climate
journal, January 2019


Aquaplanet Simulations of Tropical Cyclones
journal, June 2019


Mechanisms of Future Predicted Changes in the Zonal Mean Mid-Latitude Circulation
journal, November 2019


Dry and Moist Atmospheric Circulation with Uniform Sea-Surface Temperature
text, January 2021


Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.