Data for TC Diagnostics

The dataset includes intensity bin composites of column-integrated mosit static energy (MSE) spatial variance budget feedback terms for GCMs, reanalyses, and CloudSat for:

Starr, J. C., A. A. Wing, S. J. Camargo, D. Kim, T. Y. Lee, and J. Moon: Using the moist static energy variance budget to evaluate tropical cyclones in climate models against reanalyses and satellite observations. Journal of Climate, In Review.

Description of Files for GCMs and Reanalyses

For each of the GCMs and reanalyses used in this study, there are 4 netcdf files that are saved, 2 for intensity bin composites with maximum wind speed (Vmax) as the binning metric and 2 for minimum mean sea level pressure (MSLP). Considering each of the GCMs and reanalyses have the same file format, the AM4 model will be used as an example for what each file contains and how they are organized. Each reanalysis and GCM will have its own .tar containing the four netcdf files mentioned. 

AM4_Binned_Composites_V2.nc is the Vmax-binned intensity bin composite means of all the variables. The first dimension of each of these variables within the file are "bin" which represents the bin mean value, for example the first bin value is 1.5 representing the 0-3 m/s bin, then increasing by 3 m/s from there. For the spatial composites, which are 2-dimensional variables, those have dimensions of "lat" and "lon" which range from -5 degrees to 5 degrees as the center of each spatial intensity bin composite of that variable would be 0 degrees, 0 degrees. The azimuthal mean variables have dimension "nr" which represents the radial increments.  

AM4_Binned_STDEVS_of_BoxAvgs_V2.nc contains the Vmax-binned intensity bin composite standard deviations of the box averaged variables as well as the azimuthal mean feedback variables. This file is used in calculting the 5 to 95% confidence intervals for the azimuthal mean and box average plots. 

AM4_Binned_Composites_MSLP.nc is the minimum MSLP-binned intensity bin composite means of all the variables. This file is set up the same as the Vmax-binned file, but now the first dimension "bin" represents the bin mean value using minimum MSLP as the intensity metric. For example, the first bin of this dimension is 882.5 hPa which is the mean value of the 880-885 hPa bin. These mean values then increase by 5 hPa to the weakest bin of 1020-1025 hPa. 

AM4_Binned_STDEVS_of_BoxAvgs_MSLP.nc is set up identically to the Vmax-binned version of the standard deviation file, just now with minimum MSLP as the binning metric.

These files contain all the variables that are pertinent to the MSE spatial variance budget, but also some that were not utilized in this study. The variables listed below are those that were utilized in this study.

"bincounts": the number of snapshots in each intensity bin

3-D Variables (Spatial composites (bin,lat,lon)):

"hanom": anomaly of column-integrated MSE from the domain-mean column-integrated MSE

"hanom_SEFanom": the surface enthalpy flux (SEF) feedback 

"hanom_LWanom": the longwave (LW) feedback

"hanom_SWanom": the shortwave (SW) feedback

2-D Variables (Azimuthal mean composites (bin,nr)):

"Azmean_hSEF": Azimuthal mean SEF feedback

"Azmean_hLW": Azimuthal mean LW feedback

"Azmean_hSW": Azimuthal mean SW feedback

1-D Variables (Box-averaged composites (bin)):

"new_boxav_hvar": the box-averaged variance of column-integrated MSE

"new_boxav_hanom_SEFanom": the box-averaged SEF feedback

"new_boxav_hanom_LWanom": the box-averaged LW feedback

"new_boxav_hanom_SWanom": the box-averaged SW feedback

"new_boxav_norm_hanom_SEFanom": the normalized box-averaged SEF feedback

"new_boxav_norm_hanom_LWanom": the normalized box-averaged LW feedback

"new_boxav_norm_hanom_SWanom": the normalized box-averaged SW feedback

To get the standard deviations of the azimuthal mean and box-averaged feedbacks of each intensity bin, the same variable names are used above in the standard deviation file.

Description of File for CloudSat

This file was provided by work done in:

Lee, T.-Y., and A. Wing, 2024: Satellite-based estimation on the role of cloud-radiative interaction in accelerating tropical cyclone development. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 64 (81), 959-982, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-23-0142.1.

CloudSat_Composite_IR_RRTMGclimlab_vi4_IR_Vmax999_000_R3.nc contains the Vmax-binned intensity bin composites of the MSE variance budget feedback variables. Each of the CloudSat variables are provided as radial profiles with dimensions like those in the reanalyses and GCMs of intensity bin and then radius. The variables from this file that were utilized in this study are listed below.

"RadFB_LW_ALL_500": radial composite of the LW feedback

"RadFB_SWDAY_ALL_500": radial composite of the SW feedback

"RadFB_Net_ALL_500": radial composite of the total radiaitive feedback

"RadFB_LW_CLEARSKY_500": radial composite of the clear-sky LW feedback

"RadFB_SWDAY_CLEARSKY_500": radial composite of the clear-sky SW feedback

"RadFB_Net_CLEARSKY_500": radial composite of the clear-sky total radiaitive feedback