Dynamic Potential Intensity: An improved representation of the ocean's impact on tropical cyclones

To incorporate the effects of tropical cyclone (TC)-induced upper ocean mixing and sea surface temperature (SST) cooling on TC intensification, a vertical average of temperature down to a fixed depth was proposed as a replacement for SST within the framework of air-sea coupled Potential Intensity (PI). However, the depth to which TC-induced mixing penetrates may vary substantially with ocean stratification and storm state. To account for these effects, here we develop a Dynamic Potential Intensity (DPI) based on considerations of stratified fluid turbulence. For the Argo period 2004-2013 and the three major TC basins of the Northern Hemisphere, we show that the DPI explains 11-32% of the variance in TC intensification, compared to 0-16% using previous methods. The improvement obtained using the DPI is particularly large in the eastern Pacific where the thermocline is shallow and ocean stratification effects are strong.