Observations made during the historic 2005 hurricane season document a case of "eyewall replacement." Clouds outside the hurricane eyewall coalesce to form a new eyewall at a greater radius from the storm center, and the old eyewall dies. The winds in the new eyewall are initially weaker than those in the original eyewall, but as the new eyewall contracts, the storm reintensifies. Understanding this replacement mechanism is vital to forecasting variations in hurricane intensity. Processes in the "moat" region between the new and old eyewall have been particularly unclear. Aircraft data now show that the moat becomes dynamically similar to the eye and thus is converted into a region inimical to survival of the inner eyewall. We suggest that targeting aircraft to key parts of the storm to gain crucial input to high-resolution numerical models can lead to improvements in forecasting hurricane intensity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1135650 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System/Academy of Future Ocean, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
The Gulf Stream region (GSR) represents an area of robust oceanic eddies, active hurricanes, and more importantly, frequent encounters between the two phenomena. However, the direct impact of the intense storms on the eddy field has seldom been comprehensively examined. Here based on a multi-year analysis of eddy energy changing rate, we demonstrate that hurricanes enhance cyclonic eddies but weaken anticyclonic ones by injecting potential vorticity into the ocean.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Environmental Studies and Geology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA.
Geologic records of tropical cyclones (TCs) in low-energy, back-barrier environments are established by identifying marine sediments via their allochthonous biogeochemical signal. These records have the potential to reconstruct TC intensity and frequency through time. However, modern analog studies are needed to understand which biogeochemical indicators of overwash sediments are best preserved and how post-depositional changes may affect their preservation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Biol Anthropol
January 2025
Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Objectives: With contemporary, human-induced climate change at a crisis point, extreme weather events (e.g., cyclones, heatwaves, floods) are becoming more frequent, intense, and difficult to predict.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMar Environ Res
December 2024
Seascape Ecology Lab (SEL), DiSTAV, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy; NBFC (National Biodiversity Future Centre), Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy.
Extreme events influence ecosystem dynamics, but their effects on coastal marine habitats are often poorly perceived compared to their terrestrial counterparts. The detailed study of changes in benthic communities related to these phenomena is becoming urgent, due to the increasing intensity and frequency of hurricanes recorded in recent decades. Slow-growing benthic sessile organisms are particularly vulnerable to mechanical impacts, especially the large long-lived species with branched morphology that structure Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Monit Assess
December 2024
School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, IIT Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, 752050, Odisha, India.
The intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones (TC) are on the rise due to climate change, resulting in severe damage to coastal regions. Hence, the mitigation of socioeconomic and environmental consequences of cyclones has attained paramount importance in the recent years. In this study, the rapid impact of a very severe cyclonic storm "Titli" on land cover (LC) changes were evaluated using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and high-resolution Sentinel-2 data.
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