Significant Impact of Heat Supply From the Gulf Stream on a “Superbomb” Cyclone in January 2018

Hidetaka Hirata, Ryuichi Kawamura, Masami Nonaka, Kazuhisa Tsuboki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

On 4 January 2018, an extremely rapidly developing extratropical cyclone (“superbomb” cyclone) appeared over the Gulf Stream. To clarify the key process of the intensification of the superbomb cyclone, we specifically examined the role of heat supply from the Gulf Stream by performing cloud-resolving numerical experiments. When the cyclone rapidly developed, sensible and latent heat fluxes from the warm current predominated around the cold conveyor belt (CCB) of the cyclone. These fluxes created a convectively unstable layer near the surface. When the instability was released around the cyclone center, latent heating (LH) occurred. The increased LH further intensified the cyclone and its associated CCB. These findings indicate that the positive feedback process between the CCB and LH played a key role in intensification over the Gulf Stream. In this way, the heat supply from the Gulf Stream significantly impacted the development of the superbomb cyclone.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7718-7725
Number of pages8
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume46
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 16 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geophysics
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

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