Central American mountains inhibit eastern North Pacific seasonal tropical cyclone activity
Abstract
Abstract The eastern North Pacific (ENP) has the highest density of tropical cyclones (TCs) on earth, and yet the controls on TCs, from individual events to seasonal totals, remain poorly understood. One effect that has not been fully considered is the unique geography of the Central American mountains. Although observational studies suggest these mountains can readily fuel individual TCs through dynamical processes, here we show that these mountains indeed play the opposite role on the seasonal timescale, hindering seasonal ENP TC activity by up to 35%. We found that these mountains significantly interrupt the abundant moisture transport from the Caribbean Sea to the ENP, limiting deep convection over the open ocean area where TCs preferentially occur. This study advances our fundamental understanding of ENP TC genesis mechanisms across the weather-to-climate timescales, and also highlights the importance of topography representation in improving the ENP regional climate simulations, as well as TC seasonal predictions and future projections.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division; National Science Foundation (NSF); US Department of Commerce
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1808726
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1820609
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DE‐SC0020072; AC02-05CH11231; AGS-1462127; SC0020072; NA200AR4310409
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Nature Communications
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Volume: 12 Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; atmospheric dynamics; climate and earth system modelling
Citation Formats
Fu, Dan, Chang, Ping, Patricola, Christina M., Saravanan, R., Liu, Xue, and Beck, Hylke E. Central American mountains inhibit eastern North Pacific seasonal tropical cyclone activity. United Kingdom: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24657-w.
Fu, Dan, Chang, Ping, Patricola, Christina M., Saravanan, R., Liu, Xue, & Beck, Hylke E. Central American mountains inhibit eastern North Pacific seasonal tropical cyclone activity. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24657-w
Fu, Dan, Chang, Ping, Patricola, Christina M., Saravanan, R., Liu, Xue, and Beck, Hylke E. Tue .
"Central American mountains inhibit eastern North Pacific seasonal tropical cyclone activity". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24657-w.
@article{osti_1808726,
title = {Central American mountains inhibit eastern North Pacific seasonal tropical cyclone activity},
author = {Fu, Dan and Chang, Ping and Patricola, Christina M. and Saravanan, R. and Liu, Xue and Beck, Hylke E.},
abstractNote = {Abstract The eastern North Pacific (ENP) has the highest density of tropical cyclones (TCs) on earth, and yet the controls on TCs, from individual events to seasonal totals, remain poorly understood. One effect that has not been fully considered is the unique geography of the Central American mountains. Although observational studies suggest these mountains can readily fuel individual TCs through dynamical processes, here we show that these mountains indeed play the opposite role on the seasonal timescale, hindering seasonal ENP TC activity by up to 35%. We found that these mountains significantly interrupt the abundant moisture transport from the Caribbean Sea to the ENP, limiting deep convection over the open ocean area where TCs preferentially occur. This study advances our fundamental understanding of ENP TC genesis mechanisms across the weather-to-climate timescales, and also highlights the importance of topography representation in improving the ENP regional climate simulations, as well as TC seasonal predictions and future projections.},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-021-24657-w},
journal = {Nature Communications},
number = 1,
volume = 12,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Tue Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Tue Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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