On the Influence of Sea Surface Temperatures on the Development of Extratropical Cyclones

The sea surface temperature (SST) distribution can modulate the development of extratropical cyclones through sensible and latent heat fluxes. However, the direct and indirect effects of these surface fluxes, and thus the SST, are still not well understood. This study tackles this problem using idealised channel simulations of moist baroclinic development under the influence of surface fluxes. The model is initialised with a zonal wind field resembling the midlatitude jet and a different SST distribution for each experiment, where both the strength and position of the SST gradient are varied.

The surface latent heat flux plays a key role in enhancing the moist baroclinic development, while the sensible heat fluxes play a minor and dampening role. The additional moisture provided by the latent heat fluxes originates from about 1000 km ahead of the cyclone a day prior to the time of the most rapid deepening. When the SST in this region is higher than 15 degrees Celsius, the additional latent heat is conducive to explosive cyclone development. A high absolute SST with a weak SST gradient, however, can lead to a delay of the deepening stage, because of unorganised convection at early stages. In addition, the cyclone can maintain its intensity for a longer period with an SST above 20 degrees Celsius, because there is a continuous and extensive moisture supply from the surface. The cyclone in this case has characteristics of a hybrid cyclone, where the latent heat release near the cyclone’s centre plays a major role in the development.