Remote-sensing observation of ocean responses to Typhoon Lupit in the northwest Pacific

Abstract

Tropical cyclones, also known as typhoons, in the northwest Pacific are an important air–sea interaction process that transports massive amounts of heat and moisture. In this article, we present detailed observations of the ocean responses to Typhoon Lupit, formed on 14 October 2009. The maximum sea surface temperature (SST) drop of 7°C appeared on 25 October 2009, and the area of the negative sea-level anomaly expanded under the influence of Typhoon Lupit. After passage of the typhoon, the chlorophyll-a concentration increased by 0.3 mg m−3, showing the primary production blooming. A further analysis indicates that Typhoon Lupit caused a rightward bias on the SST change due to the resonance of rotation of the wind vector with wind-driven inertial currents. By a regression analysis, it is found that the increase of the chlorophyll-a concentration and the SST decrease follow a linear relationship with different slopes for the different typhoon stages.