Schematic showing the interactions between typhoon and mesoscale processes in the ocean
A schematic for the interactions between typhoon and mesoscale processes in the ocean. Credit: Lu et al. [2020], Figure 7
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans

The effect of tropical cyclones on the upper ocean is typically considered to be in the excitation of near-inertial waves, while mesoscale ocean eddies are usually attributable to oceanic instabilities. However, Lu et al. [2020] show the generation of mesoscale eddies by a direct injection of potential vorticity from tropical cyclones, which unveils another way for the impacts of tropical cyclones on the upper ocean. The generated and modified ocean eddies, due to tropical cyclones, can significantly influence the mass and heat transports in the ocean, and eventually have a critical cumulative effect on global climate.

Citation: Lu, Z., Wang, G., & Shang, X. [2020]. Strength and spatial structure of the perturbation induced by a tropical cyclone to the underlying eddies. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125, e2020JC016097. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016097

—Lei Zhou, Editor, JGR: Oceans

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