Ocean-Atmosphere Coupling Processes during Typhoons in the East China Sea

Typhoons, as intense ocean-atmosphere interaction events, exert profound impacts on coastal regions. The path and intensity of typhoons are predominantly governed by oceanic and atmospheric processes. While extensive research has been conducted in deep ocean regions, the mechanisms of ocean-atmosphere heat exchange during typhoon events remain inadequately understood in shallow shelf regions. It’s particular in the East China Sea, which is distinguished by its expansive continental shelf, shallow depths, overlapping surface and bottom mixed layers, and the influences of shelf circulation and the Yangtze River plume. In this region, tides are one of the key driving forces influencing ocean dynamics, however, they are rarely considered in ocean-atmosphere coupling studies. Basing on these, we have developed a high-resolution ocean-atmosphere coupled model for the coastal waters of China using the COAWST (Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport) modeling system. This effort builds upon our research group's established high-resolution ocean model. Through simulations and validations of typhoon events, preliminary results demonstrate that ocean-atmosphere coupling significantly improves the prediction of typhoon tracks and intensities. This study will further analyze the dynamics of ocean-atmosphere heat flux exchanges during typhoons under the influence of shelf processes and examines their impacts on typhoon paths and intensities, with particular attention to the role of tides. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic processes induced by typhoons in coastal shelf regions and advance our understanding of their interactions with shallow ocean systems.