A summary of research advances on tropical cyclone intensity change from 2014-2018

Abstract

This contribution summarizes key research advances on tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change from 2014-2018 from the Ninth International Workshop on Tropical Cyclones (IWTC-9). Research advances on intensity change have occurred on many fronts, including improved understanding of the role of vertical wind shear (VWS) and its impact on convection, surface fluxes, ocean eddies, dry/dusty air intrusions, eyewall replacement cycles (ERCs), spiral rainband dynamics, eyewall instability and inner-core mixing, and the mechanisms by which TCs intensify. This summary highlights a number of these important advances. Additionally, some new and emerging topics on TC intensity change have recently been elucidated: the important role of vortex structure on the subsequent intensification rate, the maximum potential intensification rate (MPIR), and the role of upper level outflow on TC intensity change. Keywords: tropical cyclone, intensity change, external influences, internal influences