Tropical cyclone （TC） genesis in the South China Sea （SCS） during 1979-2008 underwent a decadal variation around 1993. A total of 55 TCs formed in the SCS from May to September during 1994- 2008, about twice that ...Tropical cyclone （TC） genesis in the South China Sea （SCS） during 1979-2008 underwent a decadal variation around 1993. A total of 55 TCs formed in the SCS from May to September during 1994- 2008, about twice that during 1979-1993 （27）. During the TC peak season （July-September, JAS）, there were 43 TCs fi＇om 1994-2008, but only 17 during 1979-1993. For July in particular, 13 TCs formed from 1994-2008, but there were none during 1979-1993. The change in TC number is associated with changes of key environmental conditions in atmosphere and ocean. Compared to 1979-1993, the subtropical high was significantly weaker and was displaced more eastward during 1994-2008. In the former period, a stronger subtropical high induced downward flow, inhibiting TC formation. In the latter period, vertical wind shear and outgoing longwave radiation all weakened. Mid-level （850-500 hPa） humidity, and relative vorticity were higher. Sea surface temperature and upper layer heat content were also higher in the area. All these factors favor TC genesis during the latter period. The decadal change of TC genesis led to more landfalling TCs in Southern China during the period 1994-2008, which contributed to an abrupt increase in regional rainfall.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)(No.2011CB403500)the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nos. KZCX2-YW-Q11-02, XDA05090404)+1 种基金the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2010CB950302)the Qianren and Changjiang Scholar Projects, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)and SOEST-8711 & IPRC-901
文摘Tropical cyclone （TC） genesis in the South China Sea （SCS） during 1979-2008 underwent a decadal variation around 1993. A total of 55 TCs formed in the SCS from May to September during 1994- 2008, about twice that during 1979-1993 （27）. During the TC peak season （July-September, JAS）, there were 43 TCs fi＇om 1994-2008, but only 17 during 1979-1993. For July in particular, 13 TCs formed from 1994-2008, but there were none during 1979-1993. The change in TC number is associated with changes of key environmental conditions in atmosphere and ocean. Compared to 1979-1993, the subtropical high was significantly weaker and was displaced more eastward during 1994-2008. In the former period, a stronger subtropical high induced downward flow, inhibiting TC formation. In the latter period, vertical wind shear and outgoing longwave radiation all weakened. Mid-level （850-500 hPa） humidity, and relative vorticity were higher. Sea surface temperature and upper layer heat content were also higher in the area. All these factors favor TC genesis during the latter period. The decadal change of TC genesis led to more landfalling TCs in Southern China during the period 1994-2008, which contributed to an abrupt increase in regional rainfall.
