Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2010, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (6): 8-14.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2010.06.008cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2010.06.008

• Marine hydrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Relationship between typhoon activity in the northwestern Pacific and the up-per-ocean heat content on interdecadal time scale

LIU Qin-yan1,2, ZHOU Wen2   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Environmental Dynamics, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS, Guangzhou 510301, China; 2. Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre, School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 00852, China
  • Received:2009-04-02 Revised:2010-05-17 Online:2010-12-15 Published:2010-12-15
  • About author:刘钦燕(1976—), 女, 山东省青岛市人, 博士, 从事海洋-大气相互作用相关研究。E-mail: qyliu66@scsio.ac.cn
  • Supported by:

    广东省联合基金项目(U0733002); 国家自然科学基金项目(40806005); 中国科学院南海海洋研究所青年基金项目(SQ200814)

Abstract:

The typhoon activity in the northwestern Pacific region (5º-30ºN, 121ºE-180º) is analyzed using the tropical cy-clone data from 1945 to 2003 provided by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The results show that the typhoon activity in the northwestern Pacific has evident interdecadal variability. The number of typhoons occurred in 1958-1968 is more than that occurred in 1985-1995, and both numbers are more than that occurred in 1970-1980. Combining the analysis of the up-per-ocean heat content data and temperature data at 11 standard levels provided by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, it is found that the typhoon activity in the northwestern Pacific has a relationship with the ocean thermal structures. The sea-surface temperature is not the key factor affecting the typhoon number occurred during 1958-1968. The decadal variation of the typhoons occurred in the northwestern Pacific is positively correlated with the upper-ocean heat content in the equatorial central Pacific. There is a sea-surface temperature increase in the central Pacific in 1958-1968 and 1985-1995 compared with 1970-1980 by the mean-temperature profile along the equator, which exists in the surface in 1985-1995 and in the subsurface in 1958-1968. This difference may imply that the subsurface temperature warming played an important role in increased number of typhoon in 1958-1968.

Key words: typhoon, interdecadal variability, upper-ocean heat content, subsurface temperature