On the role of typhoons in generating PJ teleconnection patterns over the western North Pacific in late summer

Abstract

The extratropical response to typhoon-related convective forcing over the western North Pacific in late summer is examined based on ECMWF global reanalysis (ERA-40) data during the 1958-2001 period. Typhoon activity is intimately associated with most of the major events in which an extratropical wavetrain structure prevails from the north of the Philippines through the central North Pacific. The vertical structure of the wavetrain pattern changes from baroclinic to a barotropic along the great circle. The analysis of the wave activity flux indicates that the extratropical wavetrain is stimulated by stationary Rossby waves. It was found that one or two typhoons, which are a synoptic- scale convective heat source over the western North Pacific, can induce the barotropic Rossby wavetrain and significantly influence the summer weather in the vicinity of Japan as remote forcing.