HR: 17:25h
AN: GC54B-08    [Abstracts]
TI: Strong tropical winds and upper ocean heat content
AU: * Pasquero, C
EM: claudia.pasquero@uci.edu
AF: University of California, Irvine - Dept Earth System Science, 3224 Croul Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, United States
AU: Emanuel, K
EM: emanuel@texmex.mit.edu
AF: MIT - Dept of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
AB: Vertical mixing in the ocean upper layer is strongly affected by intense winds. In turns, upper ocean heat content affects the evolution of tropical cyclones. We present results from a modeling study of the possible feedback between upper ocean heat content and hurricanes. The model indicates that for given atmospheric thermodynamical conditions, regimes characterized by intense (with deep mixing and large upper ocean heat content) and by weak (with shallow mixing and small heat content) tropical cyclone activity can be sustained. The feedback also amplifies the sensitivity of modeled cyclone power to atmospheric thermodynamic conditions. Observational data are discussed in light of the described interaction.
DE: 3305 Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 3339 Ocean/atmosphere interactions (0312, 4504)
DE: 4215 Climate and interannual variability (1616, 1635, 3305, 3309, 4513)
SC: Global Environmental Change [GC]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting