Increased cyclone destruction potential in the Southern Indian Ocean

Bibliographic Details
Title: Increased cyclone destruction potential in the Southern Indian Ocean
Authors: P J Vidya, M Ravichandran, R Murtugudde, M P Subeesh, Sourav Chatterjee, S Neetu, M Nuncio
Source: Environmental Research Letters, Vol 16, Iss 1, p 014027 (2020)
Publisher Information: IOP Publishing, 2020.
Publication Year: 2020
Collection: LCC:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
LCC:Environmental sciences
LCC:Science
LCC:Physics
Subject Terms: Southern Indian Ocean, Power Dissipation Index, tropical cyclones, slowdown of cyclones, sea surface temperature, Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering, TD1-1066, Environmental sciences, GE1-350, Science, Physics, QC1-999
More Details: The present study examines the role of the Southern Indian Ocean (SIO) warming on the cyclone destruction potential or Power Dissipation Index (PDI) during two contrasting periods of 1980–1998 and 1999–2016. The PDI in the SIO during 1999–2016 is found to have doubled compared to the same during 1980–1998. PDI was computed using the tropical cyclone track data in the SIO region for cyclone category three and above. The increasing trend in PDI during the latter period is primarily due to an increase in the intensity of cyclones and their duration. The increasing PDI is associated with a sea surface temperature warming and an upper ocean heat content increase as well as a significant slowdown in translation speeds. The increase in upper ocean heat content during the recent decades enhances the intensification of cyclones and their duration, which is consistent with the slowdown of cyclones. Analysis of the relevant atmospheric parameters indicates that processes in the atmosphere did not play a major role in the recent decades in increasing cyclone intensity. We show that in the SIO, ocean processes play a major role in the PDI rise during the recent period. Any continued increase in PDI will cause more loss of life and socioeconomic damage to the island countries such as Mozambique, Mauritius, Mascarene Islands and Madagascar, as well as the coastal inhabitants along East Africa.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1748-9326
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/1748-9326
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/abceed
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/f9f8b5bd588d40409df0c4a5a95e46fb
Accession Number: edsdoj.f9f8b5bd588d40409df0c4a5a95e46fb
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:17489326
DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/abceed
Published in:Environmental Research Letters
Language:English