Ocean internal tides suppress tropical cyclones in the South China Sea.

Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are devastating natural disasters. Analyzing four decades of global TC data, here we find that among all global TC-active basins, the South China Sea (SCS) stands out as particularly difficult ocean for TCs to intensify, despite favorable atmosphere and ocean conditions. Over the SCS, TC intensification rate and its probability for a rapid intensification (intensification by ≥ 15.4 m s-1 day-1) are only 1/2 and 1/3, respectively, of those for the rest of the world ocean. Originating from complex interplays between astronomic tides and the SCS topography, gigantic ocean internal tides interact with TC-generated oceanic near-inertial waves and induce a strong ocean cooling effect, suppressing the TC intensification. Inclusion of this interaction between internal tides and TC in operational weather prediction systems is expected to improve forecast of TC intensity in the SCS and in other regions where strong internal tides are present.

Mathematics applied to the climate system: outstanding challenges and recent progress.

The societal need for reliable climate predictions and a proper assessment of their uncertainties is pressing. Uncertainties arise not only from initial conditions and forcing scenarios, but also from model formulation. Here, we identify and document three broad classes of problems, each representing what we regard to be an outstanding challenge in the area of mathematics applied to the climate system. First, there is the problem of the development and evaluation of simple physically based models of the global climate. Second, there is the problem of the development and evaluation of the components of complex models such as general circulation models. Third, there is the problem of the development and evaluation of appropriate statistical frameworks. We discuss these problems in turn, emphasizing the recent progress made by the papers presented in this Theme Issue. Many pressing challenges in climate science require closer collaboration between climate scientists, mathematicians and statisticians. We hope the papers contained in this Theme Issue will act as inspiration for such collaborations and for setting future research directions.

Land-ocean interaction: processes, functioning and environmental management from a UK perspective: an introduction.

This paper provides a foreword to a special edition of Science of the Total Environment concerned with land-ocean interaction from a UK perspective as linked to processes, functioning and environmental management. The volume structure is presented together with an outline of the nature of the individual papers. The areas covered are: (1) freshwater chemistry, (2) riverine sedimentology, (3) tidal river, estuarine and coastal chemistry, (4) estuarine and coastal sediments and (5) shelf-sea-ocean linkages. The foreword provides as an introductory link to the broader perspectives of contemporary UK research in this area, which comes in a conclusions paper at the end of the volume.

Land Ocean Interaction: processes, functioning and environmental management: a UK perspective.

The hydrochemical and physical functioning of UK river basins, estuaries and coastal waters through to the open sea are outlined in relation to British environmental research over the last ten or more years. An overview of a considerable body of published work is presented in the context of current findings and future research challenges. This is linked to this special issue of Science of the Total Environment 'Land Ocean Interaction: processes, functioning and environmental management: a UK perspective' for which this contribution provides a conclusion.