Ocean thermal structure is critical for the intensity change of tropical cyclones (TCs). It has been operationally derived from satellite altimetry for TC forecasting and research. The existing derivation is, however, based on a simple two-layer method; as a result, only two isotherms can be obtained to coarsely characterize the subsurface ocean thermal structure. Improvement on the vertical re...

Despite decades of theoretical research and observational studies, a good understanding of Tropical Cyclone Genesis (TCG) remains elusive. One recent theory proposes TCG is contingent upon a necessary condition in the lower tropospheric levels whereby a closed circulation exists in a Lagrangian framework forming a protective region for genesis. This thesis work contends that while lower-troposp...

Atlantic basin increased markedly in the years 1995– 2000, compared with levels in the 1970s and 1980s. For example, the accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index in the At lantic has been above the 1951–2000 median for all years from 1995 to 2005 except for the El Niño years of 1997 and 2002 (e.g., Bell et al. 2006). The increase in activity since the early 1980s has been confirmed using homogeni...

[1] Using International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS, version v03r03) analysis during satellite era (1986–2010) we determined the trends of intensification of tropical cyclones (TC) over all the global basins, except the North Indian Ocean. Over all the basins, the rate of TC intensification from 64 kt to first peak of intensity maxima (global average value = 104 kt) was ...

Large uncertainty in the predicted intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) persists compared to the steadily improving skill in the predicted TC tracks. This intensity uncertainty has its most significant implications in the coastal zone, where TC impacts to populated shorelines are greatest. Recent studies have demonstrated that rapid ahead-of-eye-center cooling of a stratified coastal ocean can ...

[1] Theory suggests tropical cyclone maximum potential intensity increases with increasing ocean temperature. However, most tropical cyclones fail to achieve this maximum intensity. Instead, empirical studies suggest that tropical cyclone intensities are uniformly distributed between this maximum potential intensity and an intensity that marks the transition between tropical storm and hurricane...

A global observational study of atmospheric conditions associated with tropical disturbance and storm development is presented. This study primarily uses upper air observations which have become available over the tropical oceans in the last decade. Climatological values of vertical stability, low level wind, tropospheric vertical wind shear and other parameters relative to the location and sea...

Groundwater in the Todos Santos watershed in southern Baja California, and throughout the peninsula south of latitude 28°N, has values of (δ18 O‰, δD‰) ranging between (-8.3, -57) and (-10.9, -78). Such negative values are uncharacteristic of the site latitude near the sea level. Altitude effects do not explain the isotope data. Tropical depressions originating along the Pacific coast of North ...

The long-term goals are to understand how variabilities in the large-scale atmospheric environment influence tropical cyclone track, structure, and intensity characteristics and define how these influences differ between developing, mature, and decaying tropical cyclones. During the initial stages of tropical cyclone development, structure and track characteristics can exhibit large variabiliti...