With a new Atlantic hurricane season in full swing, scientists may have found a new influence on how tropical cyclones develop.
With a new Atlantic hurricane season in full swing, scientists may have found a new influence on how tropical cyclones develop.
Researchers led by the University of Iowa have identified a connection between a climate system in East Asia and the frequency of tropical storms that develop in the Atlantic Ocean—which can strengthen into hurricanes that threaten the United States.
In a new study, the researchers say the East Asian Subtropical Jet Stream (EASJ) an upper-level river of wind that originates in East Asia and moves west to east across the globe, carries with it an atmospheric phenomenon called a Rossby wave.
Rossby waves occur naturally within the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere, forming because of the planet’s rotation. The researchers say Rossby waves hitch a ride on the EASJ to the North Atlantic when tropical cyclones in the Atlantic are most likely to form. The waves affect wind shear, a key element in the formation of tropical storms.
Read more at University Of Iowa
Image: Graphic illustrating the relationship between the East Asian Subtropical Jet and storms in the North Atlantic. CREDIT: University of Iowa
