Ocean internal tides suppress tropical cyclones in the South China Sea

Shoude Guan; Fei-Fei Jin; Jiwei Tian; I-I Lin; Iam-Fei Pun; Wei Zhao; John Huthnance; Zhao Xu; Wenju Cai; Zhao Jing; Lei Zhou; Ping Liu; Yihan Zhang; Zhiwei Zhang; Chun Zhou; Qingxuan Yang; Xiaodong Huang; Yijun Hou; Jinbao Song

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-48003-y

Nature Communications (May 2024)

Ocean internal tides suppress tropical cyclones in the South China Sea

Shoude Guan,
Fei-Fei Jin,
Jiwei Tian,
I-I Lin,
Iam-Fei Pun,
Wei Zhao,
John Huthnance,
Zhao Xu,
Wenju Cai,
Zhao Jing,
Lei Zhou,
Ping Liu,
Yihan Zhang,
Zhiwei Zhang,
Chun Zhou,
Qingxuan Yang,
Xiaodong Huang,
Yijun Hou,
Jinbao Song

Affiliations

Shoude Guan: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Fei-Fei Jin: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Jiwei Tian: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
I-I Lin: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University
Iam-Fei Pun: Graduate Institute of Hydrological and Oceanic Sciences, National Central University
Wei Zhao: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
John Huthnance: National Oceanography Centre
Zhao Xu: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Wenju Cai: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Zhao Jing: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Lei Zhou: School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Ping Liu: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Yihan Zhang: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Zhiwei Zhang: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Chun Zhou: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Qingxuan Yang: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Xiaodong Huang: Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Information of Hainan Province, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China
Yijun Hou: Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinbao Song: Ocean College, Zhejiang University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48003-y
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Abstract 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.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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