Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Impact of Identification Method on the Inferred Characteristics and Variability of Australian East Coast Lows

Acacia S. Pepler Centre for Excellence for Climate System Science and Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

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Alejandro Di Luca Centre for Excellence for Climate System Science and Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

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Fei Ji New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney, Australia

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Lisa V. Alexander Centre for Excellence for Climate System Science and Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

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Jason P. Evans Centre for Excellence for Climate System Science and Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

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Steven C. Sherwood Centre for Excellence for Climate System Science and Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

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Print Publication:
01 Mar 2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00188.1
Page(s):
864–877
Restricted access

Abstract

The Australian east coast low (ECL) is both a major cause of damaging severe weather and an important contributor to rainfall and dam inflow along the east coast, and is of interest to a wide range of groups including catchment managers and emergency services. For this reason, several studies in recent years have developed and interrogated databases of east coast lows using a variety of automated cyclone detection methods and identification criteria. This paper retunes each method so that all yield a similar event frequency within the ECL region, to enable a detailed intercomparison of the similarities, differences, and relative advantages of each method. All methods are shown to have substantial skill at identifying ECL events leading to major impacts or explosive development, but the choice of method significantly affects both the seasonal and interannual variation of detected ECL numbers. This must be taken into consideration in studies on trends or variability in ECLs, with a subcategorization of ECL events by synoptic situation of key importance.

Denotes Open Access content.

Corresponding author address: Acacia S. Pepler, Climate Change Research Centre, High St., University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: a.pepler@student.unsw.edu.au

Abstract

The Australian east coast low (ECL) is both a major cause of damaging severe weather and an important contributor to rainfall and dam inflow along the east coast, and is of interest to a wide range of groups including catchment managers and emergency services. For this reason, several studies in recent years have developed and interrogated databases of east coast lows using a variety of automated cyclone detection methods and identification criteria. This paper retunes each method so that all yield a similar event frequency within the ECL region, to enable a detailed intercomparison of the similarities, differences, and relative advantages of each method. All methods are shown to have substantial skill at identifying ECL events leading to major impacts or explosive development, but the choice of method significantly affects both the seasonal and interannual variation of detected ECL numbers. This must be taken into consideration in studies on trends or variability in ECLs, with a subcategorization of ECL events by synoptic situation of key importance.

Denotes Open Access content.

Corresponding author address: Acacia S. Pepler, Climate Change Research Centre, High St., University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: a.pepler@student.unsw.edu.au
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