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Relationship between sea surface temperature and the maximum intensity of tropical cyclones affecting Vietnam's coastline
Author(s) -
Thanh Nguyen T.,
Cuong Hoang D.,
Hien Nguyen X.,
Kieu Chanh
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/joc.6348
Subject(s) - sea surface temperature , tropical cyclone , climatology , intensity (physics) , environmental science , range (aeronautics) , structural basin , atmospheric sciences , geology , physics , paleontology , materials science , quantum mechanics , composite material
Estimating an upper bound for tropical cyclone (TC) intensity in a given environment is important for TC intensity forecasts and risk management. While theoretical limits for the TC maximum potential intensity have been well examined in previous studies, the actual maximum intensity ( V max ) that a TC attains in real atmospheric conditions varies from basin to basin and is subject to much more uncertainties. This study examines different empirical relationships between sea surface temperature (SST) and V max in the South China Sea that affect Vietnam's coastal region. Using different SST datasets and the TC intensity record from 1982 to 2016, it is shown that V max in this area increases slower than the typical linear or exponential function form found in previous studies. Such different dependence of V max on SST in the South China Sea is due to the narrow range of SST variation in this region, which is between 24 and 30°C as compared to the range of 15 and 30°C used in previous studies. An alternative functional form based on the natural logarithm of SST is then proposed, which captures better the characteristics of the actual TC maximum intensity in Vietnam's coastal region. Examination of the variability of V max also indicates an uptrend of the TC maximum intensity over last 30 years in the South China Sea, which has a potentially large effect on Vietnam's coastal region. This increase of V max is consistent with the warmer trend of the SST as projected in the Fifth Assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).