Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-279
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-279
Submitted as: methods for assessment of models
 | 
12 Dec 2022
Submitted as: methods for assessment of models |  | 12 Dec 2022
Status: a revised version of this preprint is currently under review for the journal GMD.

Parallel use of threshold parameter variation for tropical cyclone tracking

Bernhard Markus Enz, Jan Paul Engelmann, and Ulrike Lohmann

Abstract. Assessing the capacity of numerical models to produce viable tropical cyclones, as well as assessing the climatological behavior of simulated tropical cyclones, requires an objective tracking method. These make use of parameter thresholds to determine whether a detected feature, such as a vorticity maximum or a warm core, is sufficiently strong to indicate a tropical cyclone. The choice of parameter thresholds is generally subjective. This study proposes and assesses the parallel use of many threshold parameter combinations, combining a number of weaker and stronger values. The tracking algorithm succeeds in tracking tropical cyclones within the model data, beginning at their aggregation stage or shortly thereafter, and ending when they interact strongly with extratropical flow and transition into extratropical cyclones, or when their warm core decays. The sensitivity of accumulated cyclone energy to tracking errors is assessed. Tracking errors include faulty initial detection and termination of valid tropical cyclones and systems falsely identified as tropical cyclones. They are found to not significantly impact the accumulated cyclone energy. The tracking algorithm thus produces an adequate estimate of the accumulated cyclone energy within the underlying data.

Bernhard Markus Enz et al.

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on gmd-2022-279', Anonymous Referee #1, 10 Jan 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on gmd-2022-279', Anonymous Referee #2, 11 Apr 2023
  • RC3: 'Comment on gmd-2022-279', Anonymous Referee #3, 19 Apr 2023
  • AC1: 'Final Author Comments', Bernhard Enz, 17 May 2023

Bernhard Markus Enz et al.

Model code and software

TC Tracking Algorithm for Use with ICON Bernhard Enz, Jan Engelmann https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7331861

Bernhard Markus Enz et al.

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Short summary
An algorithm to track tropical cyclones in model simulation data has been developed. The algorithm uses many combinations of varying parameter thresholds to detect weaker phases of tropical cyclones while still being resilient to false positives. It is shown that the algorithm performs well, and adequately represents the tropical cyclone activity of the underlying simulation data. The impact of false positives on overall tropical cyclone activity is shown to be insignificant.