Toward an empirical relationship between TC intensity, TC motion, and the depth of the 26C isotherm

The interactions between the atmosphere and the upper oceanic mixed layer are believed to be a major player in future tropical cyclone (TC) intensities and, ultimately, their lifecycle. The magnitude of this influence is still vague with respect to intensity and relative velocity. To develop a model of this interaction, we incorporate satellite altimetry, AVHRR SST, and Atlantic basin buoy profiles of temperature and salinity to derive a relationship for the dynamic height response of the 26 C isotherm (which is regarded as the lower bound for TC sustainment) as a function of intensity and TC forward motion. We consider data within 500km of selected cases from the 2003 - 2004 Atlantic tropical seasons.