News
Hurricane season in Pacific and Indian Oceans
During March 2010, several tropical hurricanes have been formed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Hurricanes Ului and Tomas have developed in the Pacific Ocean and have hit several islands over their paths: Wallis and Futuna, Fidji islands. Tropical cyclone Hubert has slammed into the Eastern coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean and crossed the island.
This hurricane season is to get in touch with the warm El Niño episode that is currently occuring (even it's weaker than in last December) in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño tends to increase the numbers of tropical storms in the Pacific Ocean (on the opposite, the tropical cyclone activity is lower in the Atlantic Ocean during these El Niño conditions).
Altimeter data are used to study the relationship between hurricane intensification and upper ocean thermal structure under the storm track. Indeed, the sea level positive anomalies (materialized in red on the maps) forming bumps on the ocean surface, reveal a potential heat reserve that the cyclone will gain strength when it passes. | <link fileadmin images news mod_actus hurricane_tomas_sla_track_20100313.png download> Top: Hurricane Tomas intensity overlayed on a merged (SLA) map for the 13th of March. The hurricane intensity scale is purple for a tropical depression, blue for cat. 1, green for cat. 2, yellow for cat. 3, orange for cat.4 and red for category 5. The dates near the path indicates the date when the hurricane passed (Credits CLS/Cnes Ssalto/Duacs). Bottom: Hurricane Hubert intensity overlayed on a merged (SLA) map for the 9th of March. (Credits CLS/Cnes Ssalto/Duacs). |
<link fileadmin images news mod_actus hurricane_hubert_sla_track_20100309.png download> |
Further information:
- See other hurricanes in News (Categories <link http: www.aviso.oceanobs.com en news by-category _top external-link-new-window>News of Jason-2 mission or <link http: www.aviso.oceanobs.com en news by-category _top external-link-new-window>Ocean and Climate news)
- News focus: <link internal-link>Cyclones, hurricane and typhoons
- Applications: <link internal-link>Atmosphere, wind and waves
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