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Spatial grids for hurricane climate research

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Abstract

The authors demonstrate a spatial framework for studying hurricane climatology. The framework consists of a spatial tessellation of the hurricane basin using equal-area hexagons. The hexagons are efficient at covering hurricane tracks and provide a scaffolding to combine attribute data from tropical cyclones with spatial climate data. The framework’s utility is demonstrated using examples from recent hurricane seasons. Seasons that have similar tracks are quantitatively assessed and grouped. Regional cyclone frequency and intensity variations are mapped. A geographically-weighted regression of cyclone intensity on sea-surface temperature emphasizes the importance of a warm ocean in the intensification of cyclones over regions where the heat content is greatest. The largest differences between model predictions and observations occur near the coast. The authors suggest the framework is ideally suited for comparing tropical cyclones generated from different numerical simulations.

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Notes

  1. NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD, Boulder, Colorado, USA (http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/).

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported with contracts from the U.S. NSF under grant ATM0738172 and from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program under grant SERDP SI-1700.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    James B. Elsner, Robert E. Hodges & Thomas H. Jagger

Authors
  1. James B. Elsner
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  2. Robert E. Hodges
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  3. Thomas H. Jagger
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Correspondence to James B. Elsner.

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Elsner, J.B., Hodges, R.E. & Jagger, T.H. Spatial grids for hurricane climate research. Clim Dyn 39, 21–36 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-011-1066-5

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