Tropical Cyclone Induced Heat Transport

Tropical cyclones (TCs) play a role in upper ocean mixing which might influence the meridional ocean heat transport and affect the climate. Any slowdown of the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) has a profound implication for climate change. TCs were proposed to have a potential impact on net poleward heat transport via turbulent mixing. In other words, they pump heat downward and affect the MOC's buoyancy. In the Pacific, it was proposed that TCs change the heat flux in the mid-latitude subduction zone and equatorial undercurrent, providing a path to a permanent El Nino climate.

Here we propose inserting bogus TCs into a GCM. We will evaluate how they dynamically evolve in models, how efficiently the TCs change the mean climate, and how different climate regimes affect TCs. Since the bogus spins up an actual TC in a GCM, there are dynamical interactions included in this method. We will test the bogus with a fully coupled General Circulation Model (CCSM4.0).