Estimation of Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential From Oceanic Measurements

The primary purpose of this study is to estimate the tropical cyclone heat potential (TCHP) in the western North Pacific Ocean using in-situ measurements and satellite remote sensing data, as well as to explore the influence of TCHP on the genesis and intensification of typhoon in this region. The TCHP is defined as the integration of heat content from the depth of 26°C isotherm to the sea surface. Sea surface height and sea surface temperature data are used to estimate the TCHP based on a two-layer reduced gravity model. Totally 35 typhoons from 2006 to 2009 are analyzed in this study. The result shows that the typhoon is dramatically developed when it goes through the area with more TCHP than surroundings. From the result of regression analysis, the correlation coefficient between typhoon intensity and accumulated TCHP is above 0.8. It implies that the typhoon intensity changes might be controlled by the TCHP conditions of tropical cyclone formation region.