Articles | Volume 2, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-953-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-953-2021
Research article
 | 
20 Oct 2021
Research article |  | 20 Oct 2021

Smoother versus sharper Gulf Stream and Kuroshio sea surface temperature fronts: effects on cyclones and climatology

Leonidas Tsopouridis, Thomas Spengler, and Clemens Spensberger

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Comparing simulations with realistic and smoothed SSTs, we find that the intensification of individual cyclones in the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio regions is only marginally affected by reducing the SST gradient. In contrast, we observe a reduced cyclone activity and a shift in storm tracks. Considering differences of the variables occurring within/outside of a radius of any cyclone, we find cyclones to play only a secondary role in explaining the mean states differences among the SST experiments.
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