Moist Static Energy and Secondary Circulation Evolution Characteristics during the Rapid Intensification of Super Typhoon Yutu (2007)

Abstract

A high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to simulate inner-core thermodynamic (such as moist static energy) and dynamic secondary circulation structure evolutions associated with the rapid intensification (RI) of Super Typhoon Yutu (2007). The results show that the column-integrated moist static energy (MSE) and the secondary circulation strength are significantly correlated to the typhoon intensity change. A rapid increase of the MSE during the RI period is primarily attributed to inner core temperature increase, due to enhanced subsidence within the eye and strengthened convective heating along the eyewall. The column-integrated MSE budget analysis shows that its rapid increase during the RI is mainly caused by surface latent heat flux. A further diagnosis of the Sawyer–Eliassen equation shows that the rapid strengthening of the secondary circulation during RI results from both the radially expanding positive diabatic heating over the eyewall and the occurrence of a second heating center outside the eyewall. While the radially expanding eyewall heating contributes about 70% of the secondary circulation change, the outer heating contributes about 30%.