An Examination of the Thermodynamic Impacts of Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclones on Their Tropical Tropospheric Environment

Abstract

Abstract The present study examines the tropospheric thermodynamic anomalies induced by western North Pacific tropical cyclone (TC) passage using storm-relative composites. Negative moist static energy (MSE) anomalies containing embedded westward-propagating anomalies generally occur only following larger TCs for two months following TC passage in a region extending from the domain center to ~3000 km to its west. Larger TCs force negative MSE anomalies likely because of feedbacks from stronger, broader TC-induced negative sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and the excitation of TC-induced Rossby waves to the southeast of the TC. The negative MSE anomalies are composed of lower- and midtropospheric negative latent energy anomalies with smaller contributions from boundary layer and upper-tropospheric negative sensible heat anomalies. The lower- and midtropospheric negative MSE anomalies are forced by the TC, whereas the upper-tropospheric negative MSE anomalies are forced by the Madden–Julian oscillation. Vertically integrated MSE budgets at the domain center reveal negative MSE tendencies that are primarily forced by surface latent heat flux anomalies resulting from the TC-induced negative SST anomalies. Smaller negative MSE tendencies are due to 1) zonal and meridional advection of MSE anomalies by the Rossby waves and 2) enhanced top-of-the-atmosphere longwave radiative flux anomalies potentially associated with a reduction in the greenhouse gas effect of water vapor. The budget analysis in the west region is generally similar except that all terms are comparable in magnitude and relatively weaker. These results conservatively suggest that larger TCs can anomalously cool and dry their synoptic-scale environment for ~40 days following TC passage.