Impact of the extended boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation on western North Pacific tropical cloud cluster genesis productivity

Abstract

Tropical cloud clusters (TCCs) are traditionally viewed as precursors of tropical cyclone (TC) genesis. Most studies have focused on the impact of the extended boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) on TC activity over the western North Pacific (WNP), while the modulation of the ISO on WNP TCC genesis productivity (TCCGP), that is, the ratio of TC to TCC counts, has been investigated much less frequently. This study suggests that the extended boreal summer ISO modulates WNP TCCGP, with higher (lower) TCCGP during convectively active (inactive) ISO phases. Changes in TCCGP are found to be closely associated with changes of large-scale environmental factors. During the convectively active ISO phase, significantly increased TCCGP is associated with strengthened low-level cyclonic circulation anomalies and increased midlevel relative humidity anomalies over the WNP basin. The genesis potential index (GPI) contains several large-scale environmental variables demonstrated to relate to TCs and TCCs. The GPI can adequately depict the ISO modulation of WNP TCCGP through its alterations of large-scale parameters. Low-level vorticity makes the largest contribution to the change of TCCGP with a secondary contribution from midlevel relative humidity. Interestingly, the nonlinear GPI terms make comparable contributions, which can be partly explained by the synoptic-scale wave activity associated with the ISO mode. Stronger (weaker) 3-8-day synoptic-scale wave train intensity and increased (decreased) low-level eddy kinetic energy are found to be associated with the enhanced (weakened) monsoon circulation over the WNP basin during convectively active (inactive) ISO phases.