Dominant Role of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation in the Recent Decadal Changes in Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Activity

Wei Zhang, Gabriel Andres Vecchi, Hiroyuki Murakami, Gabriele Villarini, Thomas L. Delworth, Xiaosong Yang, Liwei Jia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

Over the 1997–2014 period, the mean frequency of western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclones (TCs) was markedly lower (~18%) than the period 1980–1996. Here we show that these changes were driven by an intensification of the vertical wind shear in the southeastern/eastern WNP tied to the changes in the Walker circulation, which arose primarily in response to the enhanced sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the North Atlantic, while the SST anomalies associated with the negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in the tropical Pacific and the anthropogenic forcing play only secondary roles. These results are based on observations and experiments using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Forecast-oriented Low-ocean Resolution Coupled Climate Model coupled climate model. The present study suggests a crucial role of the North Atlantic SST in causing decadal changes to WNP TC frequency.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)354-362
Number of pages9
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume45
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 16 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geophysics
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Keywords

  • Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
  • tropical cyclones
  • western North Pacific

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