KIOST Reveals Direct Impact of High Temperatures on Typhoons
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- Date : 2024-11-12
The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) has analyzed 312 typhoons over the past 38 years to determine the influence of high temperatures and found that typhoons of similar strength intensify rapidly when passing through marine heatwaves. These findings* were published in Nature's sister journal Communications Earth & Environment.
* Choi Hwan-young and Park Myung-sook (KIOST), Kim Hyeong-seog (Korea Maritime & Ocean University (KMOU)) et al., “Marine heatwave events strengthen the intensity of tropical cyclones,” Communications Earth & Environment, February 2024
According to the research, when typhoons pass over areas experiencing marine heatwaves,* the temperature difference between the heated ocean and the atmosphere leads to a phenomenon known as “moisture disequilibrium,” where the ocean feeds the atmosphere with significantly more water vapor than usual. This water vapor is drawn into the center of the typhoon, which forms in the lower atmosphere, fueling the formation of heavy rain clouds and a vortical hot tower** that intensifies the existing typhoon cycle with large amounts of precipitation.
* Marine heatwave: Occurs when high temperatures exceeding the top 10 percent of all sea surface temperatures observed over the past 30 years (NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in each ocean continue for five or more days.
** Vortical hot tower: A vortex 10-30 km in size with counterclockwise winds.
In contrast, the moisture disequilibrium does not occur as much in normal waters, so the inflow of water vapor from the ocean surface to the lower atmosphere is much smaller than in marine heatwaves, resulting in weaker rain cloud formation.
The research team, led by Dr. Park Myung-sook of the KIOST Ocean Satellite Center, compared and analyzed 128 typhoons that passed through marine heatwaves and 184 that traveled over “normal” waters over the past 38 years (1982-2019, inclusive) using high-resolution sea surface temperature data (NOAA) and microwave satellite precipitation data (NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration) from the Northwest Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, which are typical typhoon areas.
The study revealed that while typhoons over normal waters have an average maximum sustained wind speed of 78.80 knots, typhoons passing through marine heatwaves are about 35% stronger, with an average maximum sustained wind of 106.72 knots. Precipitation also increases roughly 1.5 ？ 2.5 times over marine heatwave events than over normal waters.
One notable example is Typhoon Talim, which devastated China and other countries in 2017. It intensified from 40 knots to 120 knots as it moved through marine heatwave conditions (exceeding 30°C) in the Northwest Pacific.
While studies have been conducted to correlate high temperatures that are generated at a certain time with a single typhoon, this is the world’s first study on the direct impact of high temperatures on hundreds of typhoons over an extended period. This is because the concept of “marine heatwaves” was first defined in scientific literature* in 2016, with research being conducted only recently to discover the direct correlation between high temperatures and single natural events (such as typhoons, heat waves, and low salinity).
* Alistair Hobday (CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), Lisa Alexander & Sarah Perkins (ARC: Australian Research Council), “A hierarchical approach to defining marine heatwaves,” Progress in Oceanography, February 2016.
The findings of the study provide an important opportunity to understand the direct interaction between marine heatwaves and typhoons, and are expected to form the basis for predicting climate change and extreme weather events in the future and building a response system.
The research is part of two ongoing projects: Determination of Northwest Pacific Warming and Research on Typhoon Generation and Intensification* under Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Development of a Typhoon Intensity Prediction System around the Korean Peninsula based on Satellite and Numerical Model using Artificial Intelligence** under the National Research Foundation of Korea. Both KIOST and KMOU are collaborating in the research.
* Total project cost: KRW 25 billion (KRW 2.64 billion in 2024) / 2022-2026 / Supervised by KIOST (Chief Researcher: Dr. Kim Kyeong-ok)
** Total project cost: KRW 642 million (KRW 120 million in 2024) / 2021-2026 / Supervised by KIOST (Chief Researcher: Dr. Park Myung-sook)
“In the face of a worsening climate crisis, we must continue to carefully observe ocean and atmospheric phenomena in order to protect people's lives and property,” said KIOST President Lee Hyi Seung. “We will strive to apply relevant research findings towards development of actual policies to respond to climate change.”
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- Last Update : 2024-08-06