Science Source

James Kossin, Suzana Camargo, Matthew Sitkowski

Journal of Climate

Published date June 1, 2010

Climate Modulation of North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks

Explores the variability of North Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane tracks, and its relationship to climate variability
Separates tracks from the North Atlantic hurricane database for the period 1950–2007 into four groups using a cluster technique that has been previously applied to tropical cyclones in other ocean basins
Demonstrates that factors such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Atlantic meridional mode (AMM), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) have varying intrabasin influences on North Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes
Identifies a shift toward proportionally more deep tropical systems began in the early to mid-1980s more than 10 years before the 1995 North Atlantic hurricane season, which is generally used to mark the beginning of the present period of heightened activity