Typhoon-Kuroshio interaction in an air-sea coupled system: Case study of typhoon nanmadol (2011)

In this study, a coupled ocean-atmosphere model was used to simulate the evolution of Typhoon Nanmadol (2011), an intense typhoon that drifted over the Kuroshio Current over a 2-day period, encountering land twice, once in the Philippines and once in Taiwan. Sensitivity experiments were performed to elucidate the influence of the three-dimensional ocean structure on predictions of typhoon intensity, with a focus on the interaction between the typhoon and the Kuroshio Current in the Luzon Strait (LS) and the unique path of Nanmadol. The cooling of the sea surface, which was associated with frontal movement in the LS, significantly reduced the intensity of the typhoon. The improved predictions of Nanmodal's intensity resulting from this complex interaction between the ocean and atmosphere occur only in model runs which include full two-way coupling between oceanic and atmospheric processes.