Atmosphere Ocean Science Friday Seminar

---

Isentropic Analysis on a 287-day Simulation of Tropical Cyclones

Speaker: Chaohao Pan, CAOS

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 1314

Date: Friday, December 10, 2021, 4 p.m.

Notes:

We perform a 287-day simulation with rotational radiative-convective equilibrium condition in System of Atmosphere Modeling (SAM). Over the period of simulation, we observe five complete life cycles of tropical cyclones. The Mean Airflow as Lagrangian Dynamics Approximation (MAFALDA), is utilized to reconstruct overturning circulations of the simulated hurricanes. An examination of the energy budget of the circulation validates a strong correlation between hurricane intensity and kinetic energy production by the inner-core cycle. The time evolution of isentropic streamfunction indicates the following three phenomena generally synchronize with hurricane intensification: developing a warm, moist core; deepening of the inner cycle; reduction of dry entrainment into the eye-wall. Our results demonstrate the potential of the MAFALDA approach to diagnosticate the thermodynamic structure of tropical cyclones, and prognosticate tropical cyclone intensity.