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Response of upper ocean currents to Typhoon Fanapi
Author(s) -
Hormann Verena,
Centurioni Luca R.,
Rainville Luc,
Lee Craig M.,
Braasch Lancelot J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl060317
Subject(s) - typhoon , geology , oceanography , current (fluid) , climatology , meteorology , geography
The response of upper ocean currents to Typhoon Fanapi in fall 2010 was studied using an extensive air‐deployed drifter array. Separation of the observations into near‐inertial and sub‐inertial motions quantified the importance of strong advection by the sub‐inertial circulation for the evolution of the cold wake formed by Typhoon Fanapi. The near‐inertial currents generated during the storm showed the expected rightward bias, with peak magnitudes of up to 0.6 m/s and an e ‐folding time of about 4 days for the strong currents within the cold wake. The shear of the near‐inertial currents is crucial for the storm‐induced cooling and deepening of the mixed layer and such instabilities were here directly observed across the base of the mixed layer in Typhoon Fanapi's cold wake. During the recovery, the diurnal cycle—a dominant process for the wake warming—was found to be noticeably reduced when the near‐inertial motions were strongest.