SGER: Creation of a Homogeneous Self-Consistent Tropical Cyclone Intensity Database for the Immediate Purpose of Performing Global Intensity Trend Analyses

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

The PI will take advantage of a new database to study tropical cyclone (TC) intensity and trends. The database, which comprises global infrared (IR) imagery for the period 1983 to present, has recently been constructed at the NOAA National Climate Data Center (NCDC). The PI will apply an objective algorithm to the database to form a homogeneous self-consistent collection of over 20 years of uninterrupted 3-hourly global TC intensity estimates. These estimates will then be subjected to trend analyses. The proposed work is motivated by the presence of significant inconsistencies in the present archives of TC intensity measurements and estimates. These archives comprise what is known as "best track" data. This research will directly address whether TC intensity has exhibited any significant interannual trends during the past 23 years. The homogeneous database that the PI will create will allow him to consider trends without the numerous caveats related to the inhomogeneity of the present best track data. Broader Impacts: The question of whether overall TC intensity is increasing in a warming environment is very relevant to the interests and concerns of our global society and has broad implications in regard to potential trends in death and destruction within coastal communities worldwide.