The Effect of the Ocean Eddy on Tropical Cyclone Intensity

Abstract

Abstract The rapid intensification of Hurricane Katrina followed by the devastation of the U.S. Gulf States highlights the critical role played by an upper-oceanic thermal structure (such as the ocean eddy or Loop Current) in affecting the development of tropical cyclones. In this paper, the impact of the ocean eddy on tropical cyclone intensity is investigated using a simple hurricane–ocean coupled model. Numerical experiments with different oceanic thermal structures are designed to elucidate the responses of tropical cyclones to the ocean eddy and the effects of tropical cyclones on the ocean. This simple model shows that rapid intensification occurs as a storm encounters the ocean eddy because of enhanced heat flux. While strong winds usually cause strong mixing in the mixed layer and thus cool down the sea surface, negative feedback to the storm intensity of this kind is limited by the presence of a warm ocean eddy, which provides an insulating effect against the storm-induced mixing and cooling. Two eddy factors, FEDDY-S and FEDDY-T, are defined to evaluate the effect of the eddy on tropical cyclone intensity. The efficiency of the eddy feedback effect depends on both the oceanic structure and other environmental parameters, including properties of the tropical cyclone. Analysis of the functionality of FEDDY-T shows that the mixed layer depth associated with either the large-scale ocean or the eddy is the most important factor in determining the magnitude of eddy feedback effects. Next to them are the storm’s translation speed and the ambient relative humidity.