Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.

Tropical cyclone count forecasting using a dynamical seasonal prediction system: Sensitivity to improved ocean initialization

TitleTropical cyclone count forecasting using a dynamical seasonal prediction system: Sensitivity to improved ocean initialization
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsAlessandri, Andrea, Borrelli A., Gualdi S., Scoccimarro E., and Masina S.
JournalJournal of Climate
Volume24
Pagination2963-2982
ISSN08948755
KeywordsAtlantic Ocean, Atmospheric temperature, Australia, Basic mechanism, Climate change, Computer simulation, Control simulation, Convective available potential energies, Detection methods, Eastern north pacific, ensemble forecasting, Ensemble forecasts, Forecasting, Graphical distribution, Hurricanes, Indian Ocean, Indian Ocean (North), Initial conditions, Interannual variability, Large-scale circulation, North Atlantic Ocean, Ocean model, Oceanography, Pacific Ocean, Pacific Ocean (North), Potential energy, prediction, sea surface temperature, Sea surface temperatures, Seasonal forecasting, Seasonal prediction, seasonal variation, Southern Indian ocean, Storms, Sub-surface ocean, Surface properties, Tropical cyclone, Tropics, wind shear, Wind shears
Abstract

This study investigates the predictability of tropical cyclone (TC) seasonal count anomalies using the Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici-Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (CMCC-INGV) Seasonal Prediction System (SPS). To this aim, nine-member ensemble forecasts for the period 1992-2001 for two starting dates per year were performed. The skill in reproducing the observed TC counts has been evaluated after the application of a TC location and tracking detection method to the retrospective forecasts. The SPS displays good skill in predicting the observed TC count anomalies, par- ticularly over the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The simulated TC activity exhibits realistic geo- graphical distribution and interannual variability, thus indicating that the model is able to reproduce the major basic mechanisms that link the TCs' occurrence with the large-scale circulation. TC count anomalies prediction has been found to be sensitive to the subsurface assimilation in the ocean for initialization. Comparing the results with control simulations performed without assimilated initial conditions, the results indicate that the assimilation significantly improves the prediction of the TC count anomalies over the eastern North Pacific Ocean (ENP) and northern Indian Ocean (NI) during boreal summer. During the austral counterpart, significant progresses over the area surrounding Australia (AUS) and in terms of the probabilistic quality of the predictions also over the southern Indian Ocean (SI) were evidenced. The analysis shows that the improvement in the prediction of anomalous TC counts follows the enhancement in forecasting daily anomalies in sea surface temperature due to subsurface ocean initialization. Furthermore, the skill changes appear to be in part related to forecast differences in convective available potential energy (CAPE) over the ENP and the North Atlantic Ocean (ATL), in wind shear over the NI, and in both CAPE and wind shear over the SI. © 2011 American Meteorological Society.

Notes

cited By 11

URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79959353469&doi=10.1175%2f2010JCLI3585.1&partnerID=40&md5=d5aff47a62a382c736c8a70824b63a22
DOI10.1175/2010JCLI3585.1
Citation KeyAlessandri20112963