Upper ocean thermal structure of the East China sea and its impact on typhoon intensity

The East China Sea (ECS) includes a broad and shallow continental shelf across which typhoons must pass before striking the heavily populated coastal region of Eastern China. We explore the possible role of ECS ocean thermal conditions in the context of typhoon-ocean interaction. The basis of this study is a high resolution hydrological and ecological survey that has been systematically collected since 1998, 20 research cruises sampling at 35 stations. It is observed that during the summer months (July-August), the hydrological conditions of the ECS exhibit large interannual variability. For example in a cold summer month, the sea surface temperature (SST) can be mostly as low as ~ 23-28∘C and upper ocean heat content (UOHC) ~ 0-20 kj cm-2. In contrast, during a warm summer the SST can be as high as ~ 28-30∘C, and UOHC increases up to 70 kj cm-2. These represent significantly different ocean thermal conditions for typhoon-ocean interaction. As a result, have a significant impact on typhoon intensity and affect its possible subsequent hazards on land. In addition to the above results, we explore the cause of such large interannual variability as well as discussing the associate future implications.