Open AccessChanges in tropical cyclone activity offset the ocean surface warming in northwest Pacific: 1981–2014
Author(s) -
June Chang ChiungWen,
Simon Wang S.Y.,
Hsu HuangHsiung
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl.651
Subject(s) - typhoon , tropical cyclone , sea surface temperature , climatology , environmental science , global warming , effects of global warming on oceans , climate change , atmospheric sciences , oceanography , geology
Tropical cyclones ( TCs ) leave a cold wake in the sea surface temperature ( SST ). In the northwest Pacific, TC activity and SST have both increased since the 1980s, but the extent to which ocean surface warming is affected by the changing TC activity is unknown. Analysis of the 1981–2014 period indicates that the intensified effect of TC cold wakes has offset the SST warming trend by 37% during the typhoon season, implying that the observed SST warming might be underestimated. This factor could affect long‐term climate simulations that are forced with prescribed SST .