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Title: Ocean internal tides suppress tropical cyclones in the South China Sea

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [5];  [1]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [7];  [8];  [8]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [9];  [10]
  1. Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China); Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao (China)
  2. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI (United States)
  3. National Taiwan University, Taipei (Taiwan)
  4. National Central University, Taoyuan (Taiwan)
  5. National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Liverpool (United Kingdom)
  6. Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China); Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao (China); Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Hobart, TAS (Australia). Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research (CSHOR); Xiamen University (China)
  7. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China)
  8. Ocean University of China, Qingdao (China)
  9. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Qingdao (China)
  10. Zhejiang University, Zhoushan (China)

Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are devastating natural disasters. Analyzing four decades of global TC data, here we find that among all global TC-active basins, the South China Sea (SCS) stands out as particularly difficult ocean for TCs to intensify, despite favorable atmosphere and ocean conditions. Over the SCS, TC intensification rate and its probability for a rapid intensification (intensification by ≥ 15.4 m s-1 day-1) are only 1/2 and 1/3, respectively, of those for the rest of the world ocean. Originating from complex interplays between astronomic tides and the SCS topography, gigantic ocean internal tides interact with TC-generated oceanic near-inertial waves and induce a strong ocean cooling effect, suppressing the TC intensification. Inclusion of this interaction between internal tides and TC in operational weather prediction systems is expected to improve forecast of TC intensity in the SCS and in other regions where strong internal tides are present.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); National Key Research and Development Program of China; Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City (YZBSTC); Ministry Of Science And Technology (MOST); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0005110; AGS-1813611; 92258301; 41876011; 2022YFC3104304; SKJC-KJ-2019KY04; 103-2111-M-002-002-MY3
OSTI ID:
2349124
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2472271
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 15, Issue 1; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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