A Reanalysis-Based Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks Dataset for the Twentieth Century (RGTracks-20C)

Abstract

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the deadliest disasters affecting human society, reconstructing their historical activity has become increasingly important. However, a comprehensive understanding of historical TC activity is challenging due to incomplete TC records in the early years. Here, we introduce the Reanalysis-Based Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks Dataset for the Twentieth Century (RGTracks-20C) (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14411917, Ye et al., 2024a), a publicly available century-long global TC track dataset spanning from 1850–2014. The first version of RGTracks-20C is reconstructed from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CRv3) primarily using the Okubo–Weiss–Zeta (OWZ) tracker. RGTracks-20C provides a reasonable representation of TC climatology and interannual variability across the global ocean and most major basins during the satellite era. Case studies further highlight its value in providing supplementary track and intensity information for earlier periods when the historical record is sparse or incomplete. RGTracks-20C therefore offers a useful resource for augmenting the historical TC record prior to the satellite era.