Response of tropical cyclone frequency to idealized climate changes

We present the results of simulations using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's high resolution global atmospheric model that are designed to elucidate the factors that control the global frequency of tropical cyclones and its response to climate change. Using energetically consistent surface boundary conditions in an idealized configuration (``aquaplanets''), we examine how large variations in meridional temperature gradients and global temperature affect tropical cyclone frequency. The results allow for a systematic examination of the factors thought to control tropical cyclogenesis and are of interest because of their implications for possible climates of the past and future.