The North Equatorial Current and rapid intensification of super typhoons.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38453921.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-45685-2 and PMC identifier 10920791.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Super Typhoon Mangkhut, which traversed the North Equatorial Current (NEC; 8-17 °N) in the western North Pacific in 2018, was the most intense Category-5 tropical cyclone (TC) with the longest duration in history-3.5 days. Here we show that the combination of two factors-high ocean heat content (OHC) and increased stratification - makes the NEC region the most favored area for a rapid intensification (RI) of super typhoons, instead of the Eddy Rich Zone (17-25 °N), which was considered the most relevant for RI occurrence. The high OHC results from a northward deepening thermocline in geostrophic balance with the westward-flowing NEC. The stratification is derived from precipitation associated with the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone in the summer peak typhoon season. These factors, which are increasingly significant over the past four decades, impede the TC-induced sea surface cooling, thus enhancing RI of TCs and simultaneously maintaining super typhoons over the NEC region.