Satellite data analysis and numerical simulation of tropical cyclone formation

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View full article: HTML; PDF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 30, NO. 21, 2122, doi:10.1029/2003GL018556, 2003 Satellite data analysis and numerical simulation of tropical cyclone formation Tim Li, Bing Fu, Xuyang Ge, and Bin Wang Department of Meteorology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Melinda Peng Department of Meteorology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California, USA Abstract [1] Forecast of tropical cyclone (TC) formation has long been a great challenge owing to lack of reliable observations over vast open oceans. Recent satellite products provide a unique opportunity to reveal detailed atmospheric wave structures prior to TC formation. Using the QuikSCAT surface wind and the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Microwave Image data, we document temporal and spatial structures of Rossby wave trains induced by energy dispersion from a pre-existing TC and easterly wave propagation characteristics prior to cyclogenesis in the western North Pacific. Using a baroclinic model, we further simulate cyclogenesis processes associated with the TC energy dispersion and easterly waves. Received 4 September 2003; revised 3 October 2003; accepted 15 October 2003; published 13 November 2003. Index Terms: 3337 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Numerical modeling and data assimilation; 3364 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Synoptic-scale meteorology; 3374 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Tropical meteorology. View full article: HTML; PDF Citation: Li, T., B. Fu, X. Ge, B. Wang, and M. Peng, Satellite data analysis and numerical simulation of tropical cyclone formation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(21), 2122, doi:10.1029/2003GL018556, 2003. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.