Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis
Abstract The upper ocean provides thermal energy to tropical cyclones. However, the impacts of the subsurface ocean on tropical cyclogenesis have been largely overlooked. Here, we show that the subsurface variabilities associated with the variation in the 26 °C isothermal depth have pronounced impac...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56433-5 |
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| author | Cong Gao Lei Zhou I.-I. Lin Chunzai Wang Shoude Guan Fei-Fei Jin Raghu Murtugudde |
| author_facet | Cong Gao Lei Zhou I.-I. Lin Chunzai Wang Shoude Guan Fei-Fei Jin Raghu Murtugudde |
| author_sort | Cong Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The upper ocean provides thermal energy to tropical cyclones. However, the impacts of the subsurface ocean on tropical cyclogenesis have been largely overlooked. Here, we show that the subsurface variabilities associated with the variation in the 26 °C isothermal depth have pronounced impacts on tropical cyclogenesis over global oceans. The sea surface wind stress and its curl before tropical cyclogenesis are large enough to perturb the ocean interior down to more than one hundred meters due to entrainment and upwelling. The 26 °C isothermal depth can fluctuate by tens of meters to significantly modify the upper ocean heat content. Consequently, sea surface temperature anomalies under nascent tropical cyclones are induced, and tropical cyclogenesis is modulated. Our results substantiate an unexpected relation between ocean interior variations and tropical cyclogenesis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fd78c14b99a14ecabe87e309b7c6b946 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-fd78c14b99a14ecabe87e309b7c6b9462025-01-26T12:40:55ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-56433-5Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesisCong Gao0Lei Zhou1I.-I. Lin2Chunzai Wang3Shoude Guan4Fei-Fei Jin5Raghu Murtugudde6School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan UniversityState Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesFrontier Science Centre for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES), Ocean University of ChinaDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, University of HawaiiDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of MarylandAbstract The upper ocean provides thermal energy to tropical cyclones. However, the impacts of the subsurface ocean on tropical cyclogenesis have been largely overlooked. Here, we show that the subsurface variabilities associated with the variation in the 26 °C isothermal depth have pronounced impacts on tropical cyclogenesis over global oceans. The sea surface wind stress and its curl before tropical cyclogenesis are large enough to perturb the ocean interior down to more than one hundred meters due to entrainment and upwelling. The 26 °C isothermal depth can fluctuate by tens of meters to significantly modify the upper ocean heat content. Consequently, sea surface temperature anomalies under nascent tropical cyclones are induced, and tropical cyclogenesis is modulated. Our results substantiate an unexpected relation between ocean interior variations and tropical cyclogenesis.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56433-5 |
| spellingShingle | Cong Gao Lei Zhou I.-I. Lin Chunzai Wang Shoude Guan Fei-Fei Jin Raghu Murtugudde Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis Nature Communications |
| title | Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis |
| title_full | Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis |
| title_fullStr | Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis |
| title_short | Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis |
| title_sort | crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56433-5 |
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