Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

An Abrupt Decrease in the Late-Season Typhoon Activity over the Western North Pacific

Pang-Chi Hsu Earth System Modeling Center, Nanjing International Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China, and International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

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Pao-Shin Chu Department of Meteorology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

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Hiroyuki Murakami International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan

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Xin Zhao Department of Meteorology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

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Print Publication:
01 Jun 2014
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00417.1
Page(s):
4296–4312
Restricted access

Abstract

In 1995 an abrupt shift in the late-season (October–December) typhoon activity over the western North Pacific (WNP) is detected by a Bayesian changepoint analysis. Interestingly, a similar change also occurs in the late-season sea surface temperature series over the western Pacific, eastern North Pacific, and portions of the Indian Ocean. All of the counts, lifespans, and accumulated cyclone energy of the late-season typhoons during the 1995–2011 epoch decreased significantly, compared with typhoons that occurred during the 1979–94 epoch. The negative vorticity anomaly is found to be the leading contributor to the genesis potential index (GPI) decrease over the southeastern sector of the WNP during 1995–2011. To elucidate the origin of the epochal change in the dynamic environmental conditions, a suite of sensitivity experiments is conducted based on the latest version of the Japan Meteorological Research Institute atmospheric general circulation model (MRI AGCM). The ensemble simulations suggest that the recent change to a La Niña–like state induces an unfavorable dynamic condition for typhoon genesis over the southeastern WNP. Warming in the Indian Ocean, however, contributes insignificantly to the circulation anomaly related to typhoon genesis over the southeastern WNP. The frequency of typhoon occurrence reveals a basinwide decrease over the WNP in the recent epoch, except for a small increase near Taiwan. An empirical statistical analysis shows that the basinwide decrease in the frequency of the typhoon occurrence is primarily attributed to a decrease in typhoon genesis, while the change in track is of less importance.

Earth System Modeling Center Contribution Number 001.

Corresponding author address: Pang-Chi Hsu, College of Atmospheric Science, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, No. 219, Ningliu Road, Nanjing 210044, China. E-mail: pangchi.hsu@gmail.com

Abstract

In 1995 an abrupt shift in the late-season (October–December) typhoon activity over the western North Pacific (WNP) is detected by a Bayesian changepoint analysis. Interestingly, a similar change also occurs in the late-season sea surface temperature series over the western Pacific, eastern North Pacific, and portions of the Indian Ocean. All of the counts, lifespans, and accumulated cyclone energy of the late-season typhoons during the 1995–2011 epoch decreased significantly, compared with typhoons that occurred during the 1979–94 epoch. The negative vorticity anomaly is found to be the leading contributor to the genesis potential index (GPI) decrease over the southeastern sector of the WNP during 1995–2011. To elucidate the origin of the epochal change in the dynamic environmental conditions, a suite of sensitivity experiments is conducted based on the latest version of the Japan Meteorological Research Institute atmospheric general circulation model (MRI AGCM). The ensemble simulations suggest that the recent change to a La Niña–like state induces an unfavorable dynamic condition for typhoon genesis over the southeastern WNP. Warming in the Indian Ocean, however, contributes insignificantly to the circulation anomaly related to typhoon genesis over the southeastern WNP. The frequency of typhoon occurrence reveals a basinwide decrease over the WNP in the recent epoch, except for a small increase near Taiwan. An empirical statistical analysis shows that the basinwide decrease in the frequency of the typhoon occurrence is primarily attributed to a decrease in typhoon genesis, while the change in track is of less importance.

Earth System Modeling Center Contribution Number 001.

Corresponding author address: Pang-Chi Hsu, College of Atmospheric Science, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, No. 219, Ningliu Road, Nanjing 210044, China. E-mail: pangchi.hsu@gmail.com
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