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Modeled sensitivity of upper thermocline properties to tropical cyclone winds and possible feedbacks on the Hadley circulation
Author(s) -
Sriver Ryan L.,
Huber Matthew
Publication year - 2010
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 - 10.1029/2010gl042836
Subject(s) - thermocline , climatology , tropical cyclone , hadley cell , sea surface temperature , atmosphere (unit) , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , walker circulation , ocean current , atmospheric circulation , cyclone (programming language) , geology , general circulation model , climate change , meteorology , oceanography , geography , field programmable gate array , computer science , computer hardware
The sensitivity of upper thermocline properties, and global climate, to tropical cyclone (TC) winds is examined using global ocean and atmosphere general circulation models. We combine seven years of global, satellite‐based TC wind records with a standard surface wind input data set derived from reanalysis, and we apply idealized factors to TC winds in order to model the ocean's equilibrium response to increases in TC intensities. We find TC‐induced vertical ocean mixing impacts upper thermocline properties, such as temperature and mixed layer depth, and the effects are amplified for increasing intensities. The model's ocean heat transport is also affected, but only when TC winds are increased substantially compared to present‐day values. Atmospheric model simulations show altered ocean temperature can lead to changes in the mean Hadley circulation. Results suggest increased TC activity may affect global climate by altering the ocean's thermal structure, which could be important for large scale ocean‐atmosphere feedbacks.