Identification

Title

Tropical cloud cluster environments and their importance for tropical cyclone formation

Abstract

This study uses a nonhierarchical cluster analysis to identify the major environmental circulation patterns associated with tropical cloud cluster (TCC) formation in the western North Pacific. All TCCs that formed in July-October 1981-2009 are examined based on their 850-hPa wind field around TCC centers. Eight types of environmental circulation patterns are identified. Of these, four are related to monsoon systems (trough, confluence, north of trough, and south of trough), three are related to easterly systems (low-latitude zone, west of subtropical high, and southwest of subtropical high), and one is associated with low-latitude cross-equatorial flow. The genesis potential index (GPI) is analyzed to compare how favorable the environmental conditions are for tropical cyclone (TC) formation when TCCs form. Excluding three cluster types with the GPI lower than the climatology of all samples, TCCs formed in monsoon environments have larger sizes, lower brightness temperatures, longer lifetimes, and higher GPIs than those of TCCs formed in easterly environments. However, for TCCs formed in easterly environments, the average GPI for those TCCs that later develop into TCs (developing TCCs) is higher than that for other TCCs (nondeveloping TCCs). This difference is nonsignificant for TCCs formed in monsoon environments. Conversely, the average magnitudes of GPI are similar for developing TCCs, regardless of whether TCCs form in easterly or monsoon environments. In summary, the probability of a TCC to develop into a TC is more sensitive to the environmental conditions for TCCs formed in easterly environments than those formed in monsoon environments.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7pv6kkw

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2019-07-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact