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The influence of the Atlantic Meridional Mode on the frequency, duration, and intensity of tropical North Atlantic cyclones

Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2007. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 31). / This paper describes the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) and its influence on tropical storm activity in the North Atlantic Basin. The Atlantic Meridional Mode is the oscillating sea- surface temperature (SST) gradient anomaly between the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH) portions of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean (TAO). Synthetic data generated from computer simulations as well as actual reanalysis data from North Atlantic Basin tropical storms was examined. A moderate correlation exists between increased (decreased) North Atlantic tropical storm activity and the high (low) phase of the AMM. The AMM correlates more strongly with the duration and intensity of tropical storms than the frequency. Increased understanding about the AMM and its affects on tropical storm activity will lead to improved forecasting of tropical systems, which affect many human lives each year. / by Nicholas Loyd. / S.B.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/114331
Date January 2007
CreatorsLoyd, Nicholas (Nicholas W.)
ContributorsKerry Emanuel., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
PublisherMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Source SetsM.I.T. Theses and Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format31 pages, application/pdf
RightsMIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

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