Upper ocean response to tropical cyclones: a review

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are strong natural hazards that are important for local and global air-sea interactions. This manuscript briefly reviews the knowledge about the upper ocean responses to TCs, including the current, surface wave, temperature, salinity and biological responses. TCs usually cause upper ocean near-inertial currents, increase strong surface waves, cool the surface ocean, warm subsurface ocean, increase sea surface salinity and decrease subsurface salinity, causing plankton blooms. The upper ocean response to TCs is controlled by TC-induced mixing, advection and surface flux, which usually bias to the right (left) side of the TC track in the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere. The upper ocean response usually recovers in several days to several weeks. The characteristics of the upper ocean response mainly depend on the TC parameters (e.g. TC intensity, translation speed and size) and environmental parameters (e.g. ocean stratification and eddies). In recent decades, our knowledge of the upper ocean response to TCs has improved because of the development of observation methods and numerical models. More processes of the upper ocean response to TCs can be studied by researchers in the future.

Automated summary

Tropical cyclones induce various responses in the upper ocean, including near-inertial currents, strong waves, changes in temperature and salinity, and plankton blooms. These responses are controlled by TC-induced mixing, advection, and surface flux, and usually recover within several days to weeks. The characteristics of the upper ocean response depend on TC parameters and environmental factors, and recent advancements in observation methods and numerical models have improved our understanding of these processes.