The influence of the Atlantic Meridional Mode on the frequency, duration, and intensity of tropical North Atlantic cyclones
Name
1028748882-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
3.2 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
940e2b81c6f28a025ddab042690f445e
Author(s)
Loyd, Nicholas (Nicholas W.)
Advisor(s)
Kerry Emanuel.
Date Issued
2007
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This paper describes the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) and its influence on tropical storm activity in the North Atlantic Basin. The Atlantic Meridional Mode is the oscillating sea- surface temperature (SST) gradient anomaly between the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH) portions of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean (TAO). Synthetic data generated from computer simulations as well as actual reanalysis data from North Atlantic Basin tropical storms was examined. A moderate correlation exists between increased (decreased) North Atlantic tropical storm activity and the high (low) phase of the AMM. The AMM correlates more strongly with the duration and intensity of tropical storms than the frequency. Increased understanding about the AMM and its affects on tropical storm activity will lead to improved forecasting of tropical systems, which affect many human lives each year.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2007.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 31).
Subjects
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
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