Zonal-mean storm-track shifts in response to perturbations in climate occur even in idealized simulations of dry atmospheres with axisymmetric forcing. Nonetheless, a generally accepted theory of the mechanisms controlling the storm-track shifts is still lacking. Here, mean available potential energy (MAPE), a general measure of baroclinicity that is proportional to the square of the Eady growt...

Evaporation from the sea surface, primarily within a hurricane’s core, provides the heat energy required to intensify and maintain the storm (e.g. Cione and Uhlhorn 2003, Emanuel 2003, and references therein). If the sea surface temperature (SST) decreases within the storm core, so does the heat energy available to the storm. Generally, in the deep ocean, SST cooling within the storm core occur...

Extreme storms and storm surges may induce major changes along sandy barrier coastlines, potentially causing substantial environmental and economic damage.We show that themost destructive storm (the 1634 AD storm) documented for the northern Wadden Sea within the last thousand years both caused permanent barrier breaching and initiated accumulation of up to several metres of marine sand. An agg...

A storm that was three storms rolled into one, and more powerful than any in recorded history, hit the Atlantic Ocean coast near Gloucester, Massachusetts, in October 1991. It was formed when Hurricane Grace collided with two strong storm fronts, forming what has become known (through a book and a popular movie) as the “Perfect Storm.” This extraordinary storm whipped the sea to insurmountable ...

The ionospheric storm evolution process was monitored during the 22 September 1999 magnetic storm over the Australian eastern region, through measurements of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) from seven Global Positioning Systems (GPS) stations. The spatial and temporal variations of the ionosphere were analysed as a time series of TEC maps. Results of our analysis show that the main...

Earth’s storm tracks are instrumental for transporting heat, momentum, and moisture and thus strongly influence the surface climate. Climate models, supported by a growing body of observational data, have demonstrated that storm tracks shift poleward as the climate warms. But the dynamical mechanisms responsible for this shift remain unclear. To isolate what portion of the storm track shift may...

This case study examines the complex history of a tropical storm that formed southeast of a large subtropical gyre. In real time the tropical stormwas incorrectly identified as being two separate storms, and at one time was mislocated by 465 km. The unique forecast problems associated with tropical cyclones within a subtropical gyre are described. The tropical storm propagated around the gyre a...

Transient eddies in the extratropical storm tracks are a primary mechanism for the transport of momentum, energy, and water in the atmosphere, and as such are a major component of the climate system. Changes in the extratropical storm tracks under global warming would impact these transports, the ocean circulation and carbon cycle, and society through changing weather patterns. I show that the ...